Description The Great Storyteller

      Yum Woo is the youngest author in history to enter the literature world. His debut work was a massive hit but this success was short lived for the unprepared.

     A miraculous second chance comes his way one day.

     This is the beginning of that journey.

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

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     1 Chapter 1- Flowing river

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "How should I make a living?"

     Just like any student would, Juho was worried about his path. Middle school was a stormy time in life. Grades were not a priority for him. At the same time, he had no desire to do anything with life. He was an average student without dreams or hopes, yet he still wanted to make a living somehow.

     "How do I make a living?"

     'Will I be able to take care of myself in the future if I become an adult, the father of a child, and then an old man?'

     Juho thought there was no hope for him. If the future and the past began with the present, the answer was already clear. Losing sleep over his fear of the future only proved that answer.

     The top-ranked student in his class had gotten the highest score in his class' exam yet again. A rebel with his tight uniform, he secretly worked a part-time job. Everybody was doing something, and they all looked cool.

     Juho prayed every night before bed for the sun not to rise. After waking up, he would think about when the damn planet was going to end. Knowing that life would be a repetition of ambiguous days, he couldn't help but sigh.

     Then, it appeared that he would escape from such monotonous daily life.

     "Juho, this is huge!"

     It was a precious weekend morning, and Juho had just answered the phone that had been ringing noisily. A man was on the other end of the call.

     "What are you talking about?"

     "Your books are selling like crazy! Your life is set now!"

     "What?"

     "Your award-winning novel is a hit! I knew it!"

     Birds were chirping outside, and Juho's dirty scalp was itching like no other. Yet, the man on the phone was talking about the novel being a huge success.

     'What in the world is going on?' Thought Juho.

     "Hold on! The printing factory is calling. We'll talk again soon!"

     'Beep.'

     Even after the call, Juho slowly laid back on his bed with the phone in his hand.

     "Must be a stupid dream."

     When we woke up, Juho found out that it had all been real.

     He was an average Korean student, an average student who hated school, but still wanted to have money. He was a foolish student who would rather enjoy the present and procrastinate on things that he needed to do, at least until a few months back.

     He realized that what he thought had been a dream was actually real and, after some time, he went to school.

     The manuscript submission for the contest in July had been made into a book, and it was lying right in front of his eyes. Better yet, the book was selling like there was no tomorrow.

     As Juho walked into a large bookstore, he noticed his book before many others. It wasn't because of his special affection towards his book, but because the copies were being displayed in the most noticeable spot, the bestseller corner.

     Since he was young, Juho had a habit of reaching for his pen whenever something upset him. This habit eventually created a story that turned into a full-length novel.

     Juho submitted his story to the contest without much thought. It wasn't because he aspired to be a novelist. He wasn't romantic enough to choose a career that didn't pay. He had done it on impulse and, perhaps, fear.

     The book was basically Juho venting his anger. One could say that it captured the story of a youth despairing his aimlessness - not well off like a protagonist in a movie or a soap opera, not smart, not necessarily ugly, but not handsome enough to hold a candle to celebrities.

     "I was exhilarated when I heard from the publishing company."

     For a while, Juho celebrated way too soon, but he quickly snapped out of it. The publisher was skeptical of whether the story would sell. Only a twisted or small number of sadistic perverts would get a kick out of another person venting his anger.

     So, Juho decided to find a different path with the $50,000 he had gotten for the manuscript. He decided to find something that made it easier for him to make money.

     'But how can this be?' Thought Juho.

     The book was to be made into a TV show, a movie, and to be translated into seven different languages.

     It was selling at an incredible rate, which meant that Juho was making an incredible amount of money.

     'You really never know what's going to happen in life.' thought Juho.

     Who would have thought a story written by an average-joe teenager would be so popular?

     Juho saw people lined up at the counter to buy his book. It was an incredibly endearing sight. Life was good.

     'Buzz.'

     The phone was ringing in Juho's pocket.

     "Hello."

     "Hey, Juho. I'm calling because of an interview."

     It was the editor. He was also the person who had been shouting over the phone in excitement about the success.

     "Again?"

     Ever since he became known, Juho was being pestered by reporters almost as much as a celebrity. He felt like a star at first, but nonetheless, it was overwhelming to deal with tens of reporters in a single day

     "The Youngest Debutant in Literature is a popular title in many aspects. What do you want to do? We can turn them down if you're worn out. I understand that there's been a lot of interviews as of late."

     There was concern in his voice, and Juho took a moment and asked,

     "What should I do?"

     "I'm not sure. It's good to seize the opportunity at hand, but it's also good to back out when you can."

     "That's not very helpful."

     "All I'm saying is that you can never predict what follows after a choice. It's up to you."

     That was true. Who would have known that his impulse would bring him such fortune? No one would ever know other than an omnipotent god who might or might not exist somewhere.

     After some consideration, Juho made up his mind after seeing people walking past him unable to recognize who he was.

     'If I make myself known and become a celebrity author, I'd be able to make more money. It's not like I'm selling another person's book. I just have to suck it up even if it's hard.' thought Juho.

     He saw the pile of books in front of him and the people who are buying them and was overwhelmed by a strong emotion.

     "I'll do it."

     "Is that all right? Are you going to be OK?"

     "Yes," Juho reassured the editor as he questioned him repeatedly and walked out of the bookstore with confidence even though he fell several times looking back.

     ---

     Time passed, and Juho was now forty-seven, forty-six by the Western calendar. After thirty years, Juho still wasn't able to stand straight. Swinging the soju bottle in his hand, he leaned onto the handrail. On the other side of the rail was a flowing river.

     "Good times," Juho said, bringing the bottle to his mouth. He hiccupped involuntarily and looked miserable wrapped in layers of clothes covered in holes.

     "These people. They don't read. They read everything else but my book."

     As the pitch black night sky, Juho's heart was dark. He shouldn't have agreed to that silly interview. He was seventeen then, sixteen by the Western calendar. It was a precious age. At that age, one became teary-eyed just from looking at a flying leaf, damn it.

     Juho had done many interviews. More than he could count. There were so many people who wanted to talk to him that he would have to set aside half of his day to do it. It was exhausting, and he hated it. Still, he was used to doing things he didn't want to, so he kept going.

     There were some benefits. People started recognizing him in the street. Broadcast stations would ask him to appear in their shows, and he became famous at his school. Juho loved the popularity, and the sense of respect was not half bad either. It felt like his talent was being appreciated.

     "The problem was the next book."

     Juho's next work was a test. After the book had reached its peak of popularity, people were divided into two opposing opinions. Rumors kept popping up every day. Some said that he was a genius while others said that he was a fake. As much as the crowd loved Juho's work, they had trouble trusting the young author.

     Juho didn't pay much attention at the time. It did hurt his feelings, but he was able to remain confident. After all, he did write the book himself. He thought he would be able to prove to everyone with the following book. He thought it would be a piece of cake for a genius. He wasn't entirely happy with how the writing turned out, but that had also happened with the first book. The editor was against Juho's second book, but he didn't listen. Eventually, he rejected the editor's advice and released his work with another publisher.

     Juho didn't realize what he had betrayed until he saw that his book was not being received the same way.

     "Look, god. You know that I made a poor choice, don't you?"

     The all-capable god was nowhere to be found, and gave Juho no answer. Feeling depressed, Juho stared into the flowing river. "I wish I could be born as a river in my next life. Flowing aimlessly, not bound by destination or starting point."

     "I want to be the river."

     Juho thought of the faces of novelists who took their own lives. He wouldn't tell who they were out of respect. Among those authors were an artist who couldn't overcome his desire for destruction and an exceptional novelist. Their books had no business in grieving the death of their masters, and they continued to sell, unlike Juho's.

     After wasting his life away, Juho tried his hand in investing in stocks and starting a business. It was a failure. Then there was some distraction, and yet another failure. He tried writing again, but that also ended in failure. Now, Juho was a homeless man who had nothing to do except for replaying the glory of his past. He was neither a genius nor an author.

     Juho reached out his hand toward the river. With the power of liquid courage, he pretended to a novelist, a novelist who lived like he would jump into the river any minute, a novelist who lived an eternity, a great storyteller. Regretting his greed for wealth and fame in the past, Juho threw himself into the river. There was a splash, and he floundered about in the water.

     "Sir, it's dangerous there!"

     "Ya, ya, don't you worry. I'm not going to die."

     A young man who was crossing the bridge warned Juho of his risky behavior, and Juho waved his hand lazily at the man and replied, "I was close to finding some inspiration."

     'This punk is a hindrance. Who's going to die anyway?' Thought Juho.

     He straightened himself against the guardrail, trying to warm up his ice cold hands with his breath and took a pen and some paper out of his pocket.

     He was going to write about his life as a failed genius who had hit rock bottom. It was a topic anybody would peek into at least once. Having lost his house, family and friends, the only things that stuck with him were his pen and paper.

     "It's not going to end like this."

     Juho grabbed the pen.

     His hands were shaking from the alcohol in his body. Despite the cold, Juho started getting drowsy from the drink he had just had.

     "Sigh…"

     He closed his eyes for a moment. His face was already numb from being exposed to the cold, and his hands and feet were the same.

     "Watch out!"

     There was an urgent shout.

     'Is it that young man again?'

     Half asleep, Juho thought peacefully, half asleep. That moment, his body was already falling away from the rail. A scream, ice-cold wind, and the coolness in the scalp were telling him that he was falling.

     'Is this the end?' Juho Thought.

     He opened his eyes and saw the pitch-black sky. If it weren't for the stars, he would have thought that his eyes were still closed. Yes, this isn't so bad. It's not terrible to be a novelist like this. At least in the next life.

     And then, he saw the ceiling.

     "What?"

     Juho sat up. He remembered falling into the river, but he was still alive.

     'Why am I here?' he thought.

     He was in a private room instead of a hospital. He should have been moved to the hospital if he was rescued.

     "Am I dead?"

     Juho pinched his cheek. It hurt.

     "Does this mean I'm alive? Can I still feel pain even if I'm dead? I don't know anymore…"

     While rubbing his cheek, Juho realized something.

     "There's no facial hair. My skin feels tighter too."

     He quickly checked his body. There was a callus on the middle joint of his right middle finger. Adult Juho didn't see any need to write, but his hand was still callused.

     Juho got up to looked into the mirror on the wall. There was face facing him, not handsome enough to compare to celebrities, but not necessarily ugly. It was a young face. Then, Juho realized who the room belonged to. It was his own.

     'Buzz.'

     Startled, Juho looked at his desk. There was a cellphone. It was ringing. Clueless and confused, Juho responded to his only mission and answered the phone.

     "He-hello?"

     "Juho, this is huge!"

     It was familiar, too familiar. It was the voice Juho had been longing to hear.

     "Mr. Editor."

     "Mr. Editor? Call me uncle, no, bro! Anyway, you hit it big! You're set now!"

     "Are you talking about my novel?"

     "Yes! Seriously! Insanely!"

     Birds were chirping outside, and Juho's dirty scalp was itching like no other, yet he was back in the past. As if that weren't confusing enough, this was right after Juho heard about the success.

     "Hold on! The printing factory is calling. We'll talk again soon!"

     With excitement in his voice, the uncle, or the bro hung up the phone. For a moment, Juho stared into his warm cellphone. Then, he shouted,

     "JACKPOT!"

     Juho was back to the old days.

     <"Flowing river"> The end.

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

      ebook which is a free download at

     wWw.EbookUpdates.Net

     .

     Download more ebooks for free at

     EbookUpdates(dot)Net

     .

     2 Chapter 2 - Starting Again 1

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Juho, come eat!"

     Several days had passed since Juho had returned to the past. He heard his mother's voice, a voice that he had become used to by now. From the living room, Juho was able to see his mother from behind, busy in the kitchen. He walked over to the kitchen and rested his head onto his mother's shoulder. That smell, it had been a while.

     "You haven't been yourself lately. Did you do something wrong?"

     "It's nothing like that."

     "No? Then what is it? Tell me."

     Hearing his mother offering to solve his problems, Juho had to hold his tears. He had become homeless after his failed attempt at business and some stock investment as a last hurrah. Filled with shame, he had to lie every time he visited his old, retired parents living in the countryside.

     He covered himself with leaves at parks and slept at subway stations. He took all of his meals at a soup kitchen. Juho was unbearably afraid of a tomorrow. It had been no different from his middle school years, when he would stay up worrying about his future. The days were miserable and terrifying. Being close to fifty, Juho couldn't bear to think that he was even weaker than his middle school self. Even then, what made it scarier was that he couldn't find his way out.

     "Mom."

     "What?"

     "Nothing."

     At his mother's hand, who was in the habit of stroking his back, Juho calmed his heart and asked,

     "Are you happy that my book is selling well?

     "Of course! My son's successful."

     "Just watch! It'll get made into a show and a movie. It'll be translated into seven different languages too."

     "Did you have a dream? You shouldn't be celebrating so soon."

     "Maybe."

     Of course it hadn't been a dream. Juho had experienced a terrible failure in his life, and then he returned. He let out a smirk.

     "You must be sleep-talking with your eyes open. Hurry up and come eat. Go get your dad."

     "Sure, mom."

     After the family gathered at the table to eat and talk, Juho went back to his room. After a brief time thinking, he decided to look up his book on the internet. [Best seller number one, Trace of a Bird, author Yun Woo.] Yun Woo was an alias. It was a spontaneously made up name, that took the name of the protagonist from the book and combined it with his actual last name.

     Juho showed his work to his mother, and she responded.

     "You wrote this?"

     "Yes, that's me."

     "You got 1st place?"

     "Yes."

     His mother's face slowly brightened up. This was the first and the last time Juho ever made his mother happy. He was an incredibly bad son.

     "Goodness, I'm so proud of you my son. I was worried what you'd become when you're stuck in your room not doing anything, but you've been doing such an amazing thing."

     Juho felt a slight relief from the endearing spank of his mother. At the same time, he felt a sense of respect for her. While he was homeless around her age, she had given birth to a child, raised him, and done all kinds of housework while working at a restaurant. She was an incredible person, his mother.

     "What's the ruckus? Is there anything to eat?"

     "Honey, look at this. Our son is a best-selling author."

     "Salad, what?"

     Wearing nothing but his long johns, Juho's father looked at the computer screen, asking Juho several times if the Yun Woo character was really him. Then, he let out an excited laughter.

     "Let's have a party. A party!"

     Exhilarated, Juho's mother headed straight into the kitchen. That day, laughter never left the table. Even as he was on a cloud nine, Juho wondered if he was dreaming. Then he thought to himself,

     'If it is a dream, I might as well enjoy it.'

     But morning came the next day and the following day. Then, it became clear to him that it was all real.

     Juho and his parents were now younger. He moved his hand around and clenched his fists. There was nothing awkward or weird. His baffled-by-success self and despairing-from-repeated-failures self had somehow become one.

     On the day before Juho came back to the past, he ate the kimchi stew that had been reheated three times. Excited for the weekend, he stayed up late on his computer. Juho's mom told him to go to bed early. He kept worrying while picturing what it would be like to move up to high school and reflected on the last thirty years. The future was going to be a series of failures.

     In a hurry, Juho opened his notebook.

     'I have to write this down before I forget.' He thought to himself.

     He wrote down all the failures to come, including all the things he regretted, lost… anything he could remember. His hand started hurting. It felt silly to be writing so much with a computer in front of him, but there was already a pen in his hand. He wasn't in a state to be able to use the computer.

     "Let's not repeat the mistakes from the past. Don't let this notebook become a book of prophecies." Juho wrote each and every letter with conviction. Then, he heard a whisper behind him.

     "Honey, maybe our son really was a genius after all. He used to read backwards when he was young."

     "Maybe we did a really good job with prenatal care."

     "It's got to be that. I heard you can have a good looking baby if you keep the bathroom clean, so I worked my butt off."

     "Don't forget about me going out every night to bring you meat."

     "Look at him. It's like he can't even hear us because he's so focused."

     'I can hear you mom.'

     Juho smiled in secret. Coming to think of it, his parents were really adorable. When he glanced at them, they cleared their throats and laughed.

     "Have some fruit."

     His parents put down the plate next to the desk and closed the door on the way out to help Juho focus, and he turned his attention back to the notebook.

     By the time he put down the pen stuck to his sweaty hand, the day was already halfway gone.

     "Haha!"

     It only took half of a day to write down thirty years worth of failures. It probably would have been much faster to use a keyboard. It had been such an empty life. Juho stared into the notebook that had been filled with his history.

     "What do I do now?"

     He asked the all-capable god who sent him back in time. "What was it that you wanted? What were you thinking when you gave me a second chance? What's his reason for leaving me in a situation like this without any explanation?"

     Instead of an answer, Juho's hand ached. The pen had left a red mark. His hand was stuck in a writing position, and it was difficult to move it. The moment he tried, it shot with pain. There was a tingling sensation in his wrist. It was a familiar kind of pain. Anyhow, he just wanted to write.

     "I'm leaving now."

     "Watch out for the cars."

     Juho was on his way to school. The high school was not far, and it was near a mountain, which meant steep hills. The neighborhood Juho lived in was made in a mountain area. The sides of the mountain went through the alleyways between the residential areas. The upside was that the air was crisper than the lower part of town.

     Arriving at school, Juho went into his class. There was awkwardness in the air. It was the beginning of the semester, so it made sense. The majority of people were keeping themselves busy on their phone. Juho found his seat. It was next to the window, third row from the back.

     He sat down and took out books to read at school.

     Juho was wearing a uniform and taking a class at a school. It was both welcoming and boring. The cold desk smelled like dust.

     "What are you reading?"

     The guy sitting right in front of him asked. His name tag read Seo Kwang Kim, and Juho handed him the book in his hand and said,

     "It's a classic."

     Seo Kwang saw the title and nodded. There weren't that many high school students who enjoyed reading. It seemed like Seo Kwang took the initiative to talk to Juho at first, but the way Seo Kwang was looking at the book was unusual. Affection? Love? He looked like a dog lover staring at a Welsh Corgi's butt. He seemed like he would run up and pat on its chubby butt and he was actually stroking the cover of the book.

     "Ahh, this was a good book. A mysterious girl crosses path with a genius musician. Their relationship makes you realize how fragile love is between a man and a woman. It's heart-aching. I can't help but give the author a tip of the hat for his beautiful prose. As I was reading, I was wishing for my other half to be out there somewhere. A harmony of romance and longing."

     Seo Kwang made a long exposition in one breath, blinking awkwardly.

     "This author is known for his children's literature too. If you haven't read them, I recommend you check it out."

     "Hm."

     He spoke with clear enunciation. Realizing how quiet Juho was, Seo Kwang responded,

     "Right, I'll let you be now. It's been a while since I ran into another book lover."

     "It's fine. I was getting bored anyway. You must enjoy reading quite a bit."

     "Reading is my life."

     It was as if Seo Kwang had been waiting all along to say that. It was very apparent how much he loved reading.

     A high school student who enjoyed reading… that was a rarity, He treated Juho's book with care to prevent damaging it. Seo Kwang gave Juho the book back and pulled out the book that he had brought himself. Recognizing the cover, Juho read it out loud instinctively.

     "Trace of a Bird."

     There was a bird in a white background. Another person was holding the very book written by Juho himself. It had been a while since Juho had seen it. Life kept on spiraling downward like the trace of a bird. It would not stop. Juho even felt like the book snatched away his wings. It couldn't have been true, of course.

     He stared at the book, and asked Seo Kwang, who was anxiously waiting, a question, "Was it any good?"

     It was a heavily paraphrased question. Seo Kwang let out an exaggerated sigh. He put his hands on his face, and shook his head.

     "'Good' alone can't dare to describe this book."

     "Then?"

     "I'm blessed for sure. I can't believe I get to read such a masterpiece in its original language instead of a translated copy. It's about time Korea had its own, world-renowned author!"

     "Let's not get too excited."

     It was an over-the-top compliment. Seo Kwang didn't mind one bit that he was the only person talking in the classroom. It was truly a passionate speech.

     "How could you be so lukewarm? You haven't read it haven't you? You won't be the same after you read it. How can I not be excited? This is a masterpiece. This book is truly a masterpiece!"

     "OK, I get it."

     Juho nodded, but Seo Kwang kept on. He must have been the kind who jumps in recklessly when in came to his passion. They might appear to be calm most of the time, but as soon as they heard anything relating to their passions, they turned into a bard giving an epic speech. They were usually referred to as Mania, Otaku or Collectors. Seeing how he was already friendly with Juho, he probably hadn't been the quiet type from the get-go.

     "As soon as I finished reading this book, I bought two more copies for myself. One for preservation, one for enjoyment and one for practical use."

     "That's a waste of money."

     "Waste? What do you mean waste?"

     It was as if Seo Kwang had already become friends with Juho. Listening to Seo Kwang's speech on the difference between wasting and investment, Juho became curious.

     "What's the practical use for?"

     "This one I'm carrying. The book gets damaged when you carry it around."

     With those proud words, he embraced his book. Seo Kwang was probably the only person who was that passionate about reading over video games or girls.

     "You know what's even more amazing?"

     "I don't know."

     "The author is our age, a high school student."

     Juho didn't say anything. Seo Kwang made whatever he wanted out of Juho's reaction and went on unimpeded.

     "Shocked? This book won an award at a competition hosted by a publishing company. It's not common that a high school student would get the award, and not only that, the content is top notch. No wonder people are going crazy over it."

     "Hmmm."

     "I don't know anything else though. His age is the only thing known to the public. He is a student, so they're trying to protect him."

     "How curious."

     "Of course! I want to know what this guy looks like. What kind of person does it take to write such an amazing book? I'm so curious!"

     Juho muttered silently as Seo Kwang grumbled on,

     'He's right in front of your eyes. Don't complain too much, my friend.'

      The End

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

      ebook which is a free download at

     wWw.EbookUpdates.Net

     .

     Download more ebooks for free at

     EbookUpdates.Net

     .

     3 Chapter 3 - Starting Again 2

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     Juho looked back to the day his hand hurt from writing for an extended period of time, particularly, to all of his failures. Something had to be done to prevent them from repeating themselves, even if it meant him being selfish.

     Immediately, Juho called his editor.

     "I have something to tell you. Are you busy?"

     "... Is it bad news?"

     "It depends… It's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask you a favor."

     "What's the favor?"

     Juho camly explained his situation.

     "I honestly don't really understand what's happening. I personally don't think that my book is all that great. I can't see it that way. I'm still a student, and the amount of attention I'm getting is quite overwhelming."

     "Hm," the editor moaned faintly.

     "I'm not sure about your views about your own work, but I do agree that all of this can be overwhelming. Most people who received a great deal of attention while young live unfortunate lives. Half of autobiographies out there are about failure."

     His words pricked Juho's conscience, but he carried on, "So, if possible, I wanted to shy away from interviews. I don't want my face to be known. I want a quiet school life."

     He had gone straight to the point without beating around the bush. There was a long pause. Juho was aware how powerful that could be as a means of promotion, but there was no way he wanted to live through that tiresome life again. There were even some authors who chose to remain anonymous. It was more than possible. The publishing company would need some explanation, but that would do.

     He waited patiently, and the editor, concerned, let out another sigh and continued, "I'm an editor, and selling books is part of my job."

     "Of course."

     "It's also my job to consider the author's stance. I understand. It doesn't seem like it's a matter I can talk you out of."

     "Thank you."

     "You didn't put up a picture on your profile and you've been using an alias, so everything should be fine."

     "OK."

     "You've never made an official appearance at an event, so it wouldn't be impossible if want to stay hidden. It wouldn't be a bad idea to add a little mysticism to our strategy. Like you said, you are a student after all," the editor thought out loud. Then, he continues playfully, "You know, you don't look half bad. I'm sure the promotional team has been eyeing you for their promo video. That's a shame. Well, the book has been doing well even without promotion, so there shouldn't be any issues. I haven't been home in days thanks to you."

     "Are you that busy?"

     "Don't even get me started," he sighed.

     "There's a massive number of incoming orders from bookstores. The press called too. Shoot, I guess this means no signing events either. It came up at the meeting."

     "I don't even have a signature."

     "Well, you're a big shot now, so you should come up with one. I'll call you with any updates."

     With those words, the editor hung up his phone. The reason for not putting up a profile picture was simple. It was because Juho wasn't particularly fond of his pictures. He did consider taking a new picture at one point, but he found out there were many authors who intentionally skipped the profile picture, so he ended up simply writing an introduction. Who would've thought that would've been such a good move? It really was impossible to predict what followed after a choice.

     As Juho daydreamed, Seo Kwang asked impatiently, "Hey, are you listening to me? How great of a book is this!?"

     "I heard you, so enough of that."

     "If you're longing to read it, I intend on lending you my practical uses copy."

     "I respectfully decline."

     As Juho and Seo Kwang argued, other students began to break out of their shells. Some were making quick, short conversations, while others approached Juho and Seo Kwang. A book was an easy topic to get plugged into.

     "I know that book too!"

     "Oh, did you read it?" Seo Kwang responded welcomely.

     "It's the first book I've read from cover to cover."

     Soon, others surrounding the two chimed in. They had been quietly listening to the conversation between Juho and Seo Kwang.

     "My parents were nagging me so much, asking what I've been doing with my life when this guy's been writing a book."

     "I was leveling up my character and helping out my friend with his. Doesn't that count as volunteer work?"

     "Hey, help me out too!"

     "Who do you play?"

     It didn't take long for the subject to change. Juho was relieved that the attention wasn't on him. Why hadn't he appreciated that before?

     Unhappy about the new subject, Seo Kwang added, "They should read if they have time for video games."

     "You sound like my mom."

     "You're kind of geeky. You must be smart."

     "No. I found out reading and grades are two separate things."

     Seo Kwang began striking conversations with other students. He had to be a natural. There was not a bit of shyness in him. Seeing Juho sitting quietly, he tapped Juho and said, "See? These kids have no interest in reading, and they're all here with 'Trace of a Bird.' This book has an incredible influence."

     Seo Kwang had to be trying to get Juho to read the book. There probably weren't that many students who weren't repulsed by books. The number of people reading had been on a steady decline at that age. It was not easy to run into a fellow literature aficionado.

     Juho followed Seo Kwang's finger pointing to the background of the book cover. A bird in a white background. The book didn't have the flashiest cover, yet it found its way into the hands of those boys and girls. It was unusual, and students were reading the book of their own volition. It was not like it was porn either.

     The student who was talking about video games earlier said, "I admit that it was a good read. I wanted to stay out of trouble with my mom, so I pretended to read it, but I actually finished it before I knew it."

     "Don't you think it's unfair the author is our age though? He must've made a lot of money. I'm jealous."

     "I wasted all that money, so you don't have to be jealous," Juho muttered silently and picked up Seo Kwang's book. "Seems like it's popular."

     "A book like this is bound to be a hit."

     Ignoring Seo Kwang urging him to read it, Juho took a brief look at the cover. The book wasn't very thick, even thought it was a full-length novel. In the back, there were the summary and critics' reviews:

     "I decided to pick this book the first time I saw it."

     "I'm captivated by the author's unique sensibilities. Reading his book is a once-in-an-eternity adventure."

     "Got me once with his seasoned writing, and then again with his age."

     They were all embarrassing. Those same critiques came back to haunt Juho two years later.

     "I'm getting curious. Who could this high school student be? Hope it's a she."

     "A person who writes like this has to be pretty. Pretty sure she has a good heart too."

     A girl? Juho struggled to hold back his laughter hearing what the other students were talking about. It was refreshing. That moment, Seo Kwang raised his hand to stop the conversation.

     "That would be nice, but it's still early to jump to conclusions. There were some touches of masculinity in places."

     "That makes sense. It was written from the perspective of a first-person male protagonist."

     Juho agreed half-heartedly and expressed approval to their reasoning. The surrounding became livelier than before. He was satisfied with the new environment,

     He reminisced about his school life. It had been flashy. Everybody had wanted to talk to him, his classmates, students from another class, even the teachers.

     He had even been called by the half-balf prince as a random moniker of encouragement. Within a few days, there had been a banner at the front gate. Juho had enjoyed his chaotic, daily life. Of course, it had all been gone in a flash, and it hadn't been long before people changed. It had been his fault for being rash.

     "The teacher's here!" a student shouted.

     The bell was already ringing. Everyone placed their new textbooks on the desk. The classroom was filled with tension for meeting the new teacher. They were silent, as if nobody had been talking the entire time.

     The teacher walked in through the front door, and all eyes were on him. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

     "Sigh."

     'Sigh?'

     It was their first official meeting, and the teacher is sighing as if he was already sick of it all. Juho felt slightly upset.

     'Had there ever been a teacher like that?'

     He tried to retrace his memory, but there weren't many he could remember clearly. The teacher half-heartedly reached for a chair and placed it in front of the podium.

     "My name is Song Hak Moon, and I'm going to be teaching you literature. Call me Mr. Moon."

     The kids were silent. As if he knew they would be, Mr. Moon continued, "It's the first day, so we'll be doing independent study. I, as a literature teacher, will be spending this time reading. You may all do as you wish, as long as it doesn't bother anyone."

     Mr. Moon sat on the chair and opened a book. It was a famous detective novel. Juho was acquainted with the book. The students were thrown off by the sudden freedom, but soon celebrated the fact that there was no class.

     Juho looked at Mr. Moon. There were wrinkles on his forehead. He was completely immersed in his book, even within such a short time. He had a very serious look as he turned the pages. Without moving a muscle, he kept on reading.

     Juho took his eyes off from Mr. Moon and took out his study guide. He had bought it to celebrate being a student again. It had already been a few days since the purchased it, but the progress had been slow. He smiled weakly. Studying was still just as undesirable as ever, even after having traveled back in time.

     "May I go to the restroom?" a student asked cautiously. Once combined with school, the restroom transformed into a word that caused conflict between teachers and students.

     While there were teachers who let their student go to the restroom during class, there were teachers also teachers who did not. Teachers who were particularly strict would become angry or incredibly offended. Not wanting to be a target for such a teacher, the student who brought up the word restroom kept a watchful eye to the teacher's reaction.

     "Sure," Mr. Moon responded carelessly, as if there were no point in being nervous about asking.

     Other students who'd been observing began to ask the same question one after another. Mr. Moon responded with the same dull answer to each and every one of them.

     He had seemed like he'd be rough around the edges by how he'd sighed soon after seeing his new students, but that might not be true.

     When the bell rang, Mr. Moon gathered his belongings and left the classroom without saying a word.

     "That teacher's kind of different. He takes no interest in his students."

     "Good for him, and good for us."

     By nature, that teacher seemed unmotivated to do his job. Mr. 'Moon was it?'

     Juho became curious of how he would teach in the future.

     The bell rang after a short recess. This time, the teacher was an older lady in her fifties. Her subject was English. She wrote her name on the chalkboard. Like an English teacher, it was in English. Juho read the Roman alphabet letters written on the board. It read Myung Ja Kang.

     "You're fortunate that you have me as your teacher," she said abruptly, without any introduction.

     There was silence in the classroom, but it was apparent that they were at loss of words. Who was that?

     "Among your seniors, there are five people who have gone onto study English education at Seoul University. I've taught all of them."

     Juho desperately held back his desire to sigh like Mr. Moon. The word 'university' made him realize that he really was a student.

     "Everyone, you have to do well in English. Why? Because otherwise, you won't be able to get into a university. Isn't that your goal? If you want to reach your goal, you have to speak English. Unless your parents are rich, English is a must. We live in a meritocracy. I will grant the right to contradict my words only to those who can speak better than I can."

     There was no way that anybody would raise their hand in a classroom filled with silence. Juho felt bitterness toward the reality in which he had to listen to all of that. He turned his eyes to the window. There was no one in the yard, and the front gate made of iron was shut tight.

     'I could use a drink right about now,' thought Juho.

     "You may have a hard time understanding what I'm saying. You may want to say that university isn't everything there is to life and that there are many other paths. Everyone, that's the foolishness of a child. Mark the words of this veteran who's lived far more than you. You'll be able to live a life with no regrets. I will not accept complaints. I will be only accept your gratitude for getting you into a university with my English training."

     'A life with no regrets she said? Wasn't this an English class? Those are some lofty words.' Juho thought.

     He looked around. There were a lot of hardened faces. Some were terrified. This was a time when things like university or society appeared monstrous, and Juho felt sorry for them.

     "My class will be based on SAT materials. When I point to you, I expect you to stand up, and give a clear answer. If you're unable to answer or act immaturely, I will deduct points."

     'Immature, that meant a fruit was not ripe yet. What sense does it make to deduct points for being immature when she's already called her students young? This teacher is going to be trouble.'

     Juho couldn't resist his desire to sigh that time.

      The End

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     4 Chapter 4 - Everybody Makes Mistakes

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Number 1."

     "Huh?"

     "Please read the text until I say stop."

     The girl at the frontmost seat rose from her seat. With hesitation, she stumbled through the words in English. Her voice was unstable. It was clear that she was nervous. It wasn't long before that shaky voice came to an abrupt stop. There was a word she didn't know how to read, and soon, the classroom became completely silent.

     "Um… I'm not sure how to pronounce this," the girl said timidly.

     "Right. Which middle school did you go to?"

     "Um…"

     Mrs. Kang didn't actually say anything to talk down the girl's middle school English teacher. Her attitude spoke louder than her words. 'Number 1' was flushing from embarrassment, while the other students looked at each wondering if that was OK. Juho was occupied by reading the text.

     It was strange.

     Juho was able to read English fluently. He rubbed his eyes forcefully. Even when things were still blurry, Juho was able to read them. It felt natural.

     'What is going on?' he thought to himself.

     The text was about environment-friendly consumption. It would've been impossible to understand even after sixteen years of education - six years of elementary, six years of middle and high schools, and four years of college. How was it that Juho was able to understand English as if it were his native language?

     The second he started reading in English, there was a strange "click" in Juho's head. It sounded like a button being pressed.

     The only explanation for all of that was the miracle of travelling to the past.

     'Did somebody plant a language learning device in my brain while I was time traveling?' thought Juho.

     In midst of the confusion, Juho heard Mrs. Kang's edgy words. Every sentence was a command.

     'Is this the kind of tone she's going to be teaching with?' Her attitude was saying that the teacher was above her students. She was basically teaching them that people weren't equal.

     Juho tried reading another sentence. He was able to translate it without problems and was able to understand everything. He focused on that unfamiliar sensation. It felt like a part of his brain had been mashed in.

     Some active device was telling Juho the rules and meanings of a language. It all felt as natural as smelling.

     "Recently, I've researched various, convenient methods for wise consumption."

     Because of the device, Juho recognized the mistake in Mrs.Kang's translation.

     'Number 1' was still in a same position. That teacher was enough of a bad influence to those children as it was, and Juho couldn't let her make a mistake. He quietly raised his hand, and his eyes met Mrs. Kang's. She stopped her translation and pointed at Juho with her chin. There was an annoyance in her gesture.

     "Is there a problem?"

     'This better be good,' was the unspoken pressure. Juho paid no attention to Mrs. Kang's judgement and responded calmly.

     "You've mistranslated."

     Mrs. Kang kept a still face and started looking into the text. The students were silent, but not because it was the first day of school. There was a faint excitement in midst of that anxiety. If what Juho had said was true, then it would mean that Mrs. Kang had made a mistake. The very teacher who had just given them a lofty speech about meritocracy, that teacher, who wanted to wield power over her students, had left an opening. Her fangs were itching behind her closed lips. Fangs that were small, yet rigid.

     "What's your name sir?"

     "Juho Woo."

     "Have you been to another country?"

     "No, ma'am."

     Mrs. Kang smiled. Clueless of what it meant, the students felt uneasy about her smile.

     "How was your grade in English?"

     "I don't remember exactly, but probably on the lower side."

     Juho did not have such good grades, especially so on core subjects.

     "And you're saying that you can hear the flaw in the translation?"

     "It seems like you haven't found it yet, Mrs.Kang."

     "...My translation was accurate. The English you're learning is at best, at high school level. It means I find it incredibly easy. I will have to deduct points for disrupting the class, what's your call number?"

     She wasn't even going to listen to him. Rather than giving Mrs.Kang what she wanted, Juho read through the text written in high school level English. He interpreted every single word while avoiding excessively literal translation.

     "Environment-friendly consumption, therefore, means to make a wise decision. One should purchase items made of recycled materials and avoid making any unnecessary purchases. Moreover, environment-friendly consumption isn't just beneficial to this planet, but it is also beneficial to my bank account. Also, I have been researching various convenient methods for wise consumption. As a result, I have been carrying a recyclable bag. However, I have trouble remembering to take the recyclable bag with me to the grocery store."

     "..."

     "You just translated 'Recently, I've researched various, convenient methods for wise consumption.' To me, these sentences are saying that all of that has been an ongoing process. So, wouldn't it make more sense to say 'I have been researching various convenient methods for wise consumption?'"

     "He's right. This is the present perfect continuous tense,"

     said one of the students.

     Juho knew nothing about the present perfect continuous or the past perfect tenses, but judging from the students wavering, that student must have been right.

     'High school level at best.' Mrs. Kang had made a mistake at a standard she considered negligible. A mistake was never the same as a fault. Students simply wanted her to accept her mistake and stand corrected. It was probably too much to ask though, considering all the things she had been saying thus far.

     Mrs. Kang became conscious of her mistake and frantically searched through the textbook.

     "...How strange. It came out slightly different on the educator's edition."

     "As far as I know, the educator's edition hasn't been distributed yet, Mrs.Kang."

     Her face was scrunching up into a scowl. After small revisions, textbooks had been getting distributed every year. Her book cover, now completely exposed facing the students, was no different from theirs.

     In a world entirely based on merit, according to Mrs. Kang. how would they punish her? She tried to remain calm, but the ridge above her lips was already filled with sweat. It was the moment when a mistake became a fault.

     "Chuckle!"

     Students started giggling. Eventually, the classroom was shaking with uncontrolled laughter. The only people who were not laughing were Juho and Mrs. Kang.

     Could things have gone the same way if another teacher had made a mistake and Juho had said the same thing? No. The students knew it. Teachers were human too, which meant they were just as susceptible to mistakes.

     These kids had to have understood it by now, but the students taught by Mrs. Kang were different.

     Juho sat down. He hoped that Mrs. Kang would stop ridiculing others by bringing up things like English or university. If the value of a person was based on such things, the world would be a miserable place to live in. Juho had no intention of turning the world he was living in into a tiresome place.

     Mrs. Kang, the English teacher, rushed out of the classroom. After she left, Seo Kwang quickly turned to Juho.

     "Psycho!"

     That was unexpected.

     "Is your heart made of iron? What were you thinking opening up your mouth at a time like that? Oh, and you didn't stop there. You went the extra mile and really let her have it. You're insane! You're incredible!"

     Though Seo Kwang's words were quite misleading, Juho shrugged his shoulder and answered, "I let her have it? I only spoke up to address her misunderstanding."

     Juho smiled and slowly drew away from the conversation. Seo Kwang immediately caught on to what Juho was really saying.

     "Aha! So, you're saying Mrs. Kang is the one who actually made things awkward? You were just acting normal."

     Juho didn't talk back to her or complain about her one-sided statements. He merely corrected her mistake. It was Mrs. Kang herself who had turned the situation into what it was.

     Seo Kwang squinted at Juho. He felt that all the reading he had done up to that point had been helpful in a situation like that. There was something dangerous about Juho in the way he played coy when getting to know a person. Next to his peers, there was something quite different about him, and Seo Kwang came to like it.

     "Let's be friends."

     "That's random."

     Though he answered light-heartedly, Juho had to read every single book recommended by Seo Kwang.

     ---

     The classroom was rowdy. The students had completely adjusted to their new school now. There were cliques, which meant people started talking to each other. However, that wasn't the only explanation for the rowdy classroom.

     It was time for the so-called club invitation season. The upperclassmen came into the first years' classrooms to introduce their clubs.

     Next to the chalkboard were the flyers for all the different clubs, and the kids would wonder about which club to choose during recess.

     There were upperclassmen before Juho, promoting their club with a hand-made sign, three girls and three boys from the volunteering club. He wondered if it was really necessary to have that many people promoting a club. The only person doing the talking was the girl in the middle.

     "The strength of our club is that we really fill up the student record. You all know that you should take care of that on your first year, right? You'll have less and less time as you go up. There's no time for volunteering work, but the teachers are making a fuss about writing whatever helpful thing you can think of on your applications. THAT is when you'll think of this club. This is a testimony. While your friends are struggling, you could indulge in the pleasure of burning through your applications!"

     The girl went on with her excited speech. The kids were quietly listening to the upperclassman. Realizing that there was an awkwardness in the air, she quickly wrapped up her speech. The club members who were standing next to her hadn't said a single word until the very end.

     "Anyhow, if you're interested, come find me in classroom 2-3."

     Next was the music club. Unlike its name, the reality was that they only sang a few songs at the school festival. A male upperclassman came out to promote it with a picket.

     "If you enjoy music on a regular basis, are interested in music or are in love with music, this is the club for you. There is a brief interview, but don't be intimidated. You can still be part of our club even if you're not a good singer or a dancer. It's OK if you know nothing about music. We can learn together. Our basic activity is to enjoy and appreciate."

     Next, came the cultural exploration club. Their activities were mainly outdoors. Perhaps that explained the unusual fashion sense of its members. The upperclassmen who came into the classroom to promote the club were all dressed in extraordinary clothing. It was as if they would be leaving for a jungle exploration at any minute.

     "That guy in the khaki hat, he's my style."

     Seo Kwang whispered jokingly to Juho. As if in response, that upperclassman spoke with a loud voice, "Wherever there's culture, the cultural exploration club is there. As close as the park nearby or as far as a folk village! We go wherever our members desire! Come join our club!"

     Then, he took a deep breath and asked for everyone's attention, apparently the most important thing was left to the end.

     "Our homeroom teacher treats to some food often."

     At that, a few excited students came forth. It didn't sound all that interesting, but it had definitely been the most energetic club so far. With cultural exploration club as the last, the club promotion came to an end.

     "Which club are you planning on joining?" asked Seo Kwang.

     After the promotion, there were even more kids looking at the flyers. Seo Kwang and Juho were far from the crowd. They were skimming through the flyers to see the different clubs that were around.

     "I don't know. You?"

     "I'm thinking about joining the book club, but it kind of bothers me that they have the Chinese teacher as their homeroom teacher."

     "Ah! You mean the one who teaches the second years? He's always in modernized traditional garments."

     That teacher really gave off an intimidating impression with his deep wrinkled brows. Seo Kwang stepped forward and started looking for a literature club. According to him, he had been in a literature debate club for all three years in middle school,

     Juho decided to look around by himself. Then, he saw the title 'Documentary Appreciation Club," the club he used to be part of.

     They sat still and watched documentaries of their teacher's choosing. That was the entirety of that club's activity, but Juho was quite fond of it.

     "Should I go back to watching documentaries, or should I try something new?" Juho pondered.

      The End

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     The Great Storyteller

      ebook which is a free download at

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     5 Chapter 5 - A Piece of Paper on the Ground

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     Sensing something under his feet, Juho looked down. There was a piece of paper on the ground.

     It was not at all in a good shape. There were already multiple footprints on it. After brushing off some dust, Juho was able to get a sense for why that paper was so unpopular.

     "Literature Club."

     It seemed boring even at a glimpse. Aside from Juho and Seo Kwang, most people would move on without even bothering to look into it. It seemed to have reached Juho after getting kicked around.

     He read the details of the club on the paper.

     Homeroom Teacher: Song Hak Moon.

     It was that teacher who sighed before even giving a proper introduction.

     "Are you interested in the Literature Club?" Seo Kwang made his way through the crowd and asked.

     "It didn't sound half bad."

     "You want to join together then? If you say yes, I'll give up the Book Club."

     "You're giving the Book Club up because of the teacher."

     Seo Kwang pretended he didn't hear him and took the flyer. Juho had already finished reading through it, so he gladly handed it to Seo Kwang. His face didn't seem to brighten up as he read it.

     "Apparently, they changed their name to Literature Club from Literature Debate Club. It could be one of the lazy clubs."

     'Lazy clubs' were clubs whose primary activity was made of independent study. Clubs like Film Appreciation or the English Newspaper Club existed just in name. The reality was that they spent their time in self-study. Even their homeroom teachers hardly showed up. Kids who were part of those clubs were either working on their study guides or taking naps.

     "Well, that ain't so bad."

     "Maybe you're right. Then again, you could take that time to read a book."

     Juho had had a similar thought. If it was self-study time, he could use the time to write.

     Of course, Juho and Seo Kwang would be the only people who would be reading or writing among other students.

     "OK. Do we go with this one then?"

     "Let's do it."

     Just like that, the two decided on a club without much trouble even though there was no way to know how many members there were in that club. Determined, they carried on without hesitation. They filled out their applications and headed straight to the staffroom.

     Mr. Moon's desk was visible right as they walked into the staffroom. Unlike other teachers who were dealing with waves of students, he was lost in his book all alone.

     "Mr. Moon, here's our club application."

     "Well, well."

     Mr. Moon looked away from his book to looked at Juho and Seo Kwang. With a mysterious exclamation, he took the applications from them. He scanned for their names and slid them between the pages of his book. That was it. No greetings or anything.

     Seo Kwang asked out of curiosity, "What kind of activities are we doing?"

     Mr. Moon answered with a smirk, "It's too late now. You can't withdraw after having already submitted the application."

     It was not clear, but it didn't seem to be one of the lazy clubs at least. It was the Literature Club, so they probably did some writing too.

     "That kind of scares me."

     "What does? Aren't you guys used to being forced to do things?"

     "Haha! That is true, but I'm still curious."

     Mr. Moon was casually saying things that a teacher wouldn't normally say to his students. Seo Kwang agreed with him with a smile and kept on pestering him for an answer. Meanwhile, Mr. Moon kept avoiding giving direct answers to their questions. Here and there, he turned his eyes back to the book in his hand. It didn't seem like he was trying to hide the book, but rather, wanting to get back to it.

     "A book over his student asking him questions… Why is this person teaching?"

     That moment, they heard somebody come into the staffroom. Juho and Seo Kwang turned around, and they saw two girls with applications in their hands. One had a ponytail and the other had bob-cut hair. The girl with the ponytail said, "Excuse me."

     "Sure."

     Before Juho even had time to signal Seo Kwan, she cut through them boldly. The other girl quietly followed. Mr. Moon took the applications and slid them between the pages, just like with Juho's and Seo Kwang's. There had been no difference to his actions, and Seo Kwang broke the silence and continued on his attempt at a conversation with Mr. Moon.

     Nodding reluctantly, Mr. Moon answered, "Then, I'll tell you about the Literature Club's past. There's a saying that you can see the future if you know the history."

     "The Literature Club has a past? It wasn't just a new name?"

     "If the name was the only concern, wouldn't the other name be more sophisticated? Literature Debate Club, why bother changing it?"

     That was true. The two girls were still around as if they were curious. Mr. Moon continued to talk about the Literature Club and emphasized its deep tradition. He seemed livelier than ever.

     "Considering the tradition, it doesn't have much presence."

     Mr. Moon agreed with Juho, "You're right. It lacks presence. That's why it disappeared, but I brought it back."

     "Aha!"

     It seemed like the Literature Club took the place of the Literature Debate Club in the process of its revival.

     "It still needs presence," the girl with a ponytail said.

     Mr.Moon slowly raised a book. It was the same book he was sliding the applications into, and the applications fluttered between the white pages.

     "But we're living in another time. There's been a second wind in the world of literature because of this book."

     The book was titled 'Trace of a Bird.' Juho's eyes followed the book waving from side to side, and Mr. Moon continued, "Everyone's talking about the birth of a teenage bestselling author. So, the Literature Club simply rode that wave and made a comeback."

     Juho remembered seeing the news that an increasing number of parents were sending their children to private institutions after school for composition writing. Now that he thought about it, it had made sense for him to be arrogant seeing how the book had been such a big deal.

     Because the bell rang and the topic wasn't exactly welcoming, Juho and Seo Kwang made their way back to class.

     The two headed to the science room. It was the meeting room for the Literature Club. Located in the corner of the third floor, the science room was often at the center of ghost stories because of its location and purpose. They were stereotypical school stories kind of like the mannequin coming to life at midnight. They'd be laughable even for kindergarteners.

     Juho and Seo Kwang went into the science room, which was far apart from other classrooms. There were two other people who had already arrived.

     "Hey, there!"

     The girl in ponytail took the initiative, and then the girl with the bob cut followed. Juho and Seo Kwang exchanged greetings with them as they walked into the room. It was their second meeting.

     The four sat facing each other in pairs with a long desk in between. The girls with short hair sat across from Juho, and it was very apparent that she was feeling awkward.

     "Are you two in the same class?" Seo Kwang asked.

     "Yeah, you guys must be too, seeing as how you're walking in together, right?" the girl in ponytail answered, and he introduced himself.

     "I'm Sun Hwa Ahn, and this is Bom Yoon," the girl in ponytail said.

     Juho introduced himself in response. Then, there was the awkward silence that came after exchanging names, and Seo Kwang started talking to break the ice.

     "What brings you two to the club?"

     "We like books."

     There was a big smile on Seo Kwang's face. He was about to walk up to them to put his arms around and shout "Friends!," but he soon returned to his seat after hearing what Sun Hwa had to add.

     "Comics."

     "Comics?"

     That was a different genre. Seo Kwang was obsessed with print. It wasn't that he didn't read comics at all, but his preference had always been to have words finely printed onto white sheets of paper.

     While he was in disappointment, Juho asked Sun Hwa, "Wasn't there a Comic/Cartoon Research Club?"

     "That's one of the lazy clubs. I refuse to be part of a club that's got nothing to offer other than its name. How dare they desecrate comics?! They're not just words you know."

     Juho was impressed by Sun Hwa's passion as she scrunched up her face in annoyance. She was a girl full of pride toward comics.

     "What about your friend there? Bom was it? Do you like comics too?" Seo Kwang asked Bom in case she was any different, but unlike his expectations, she nodded her head in affirmation. Everytime she moved her head, her hair played on her cheeks.

     "Sun Hwa recommended them to me. I've been enjoying them."

     "Well, well, what if you try getting into actual books? I can give you recommendations if you want."

     "No, sure."

     At her vague answer, Seo Kwang asked Juho with his eyes, 'Is that a yes or a no?'

     'I don't know either,' Juho responded.

     Next, Sun Hwa asked Juho a question as if she were trying to one-up Seo Kwang's attempts, "How about you?"

     "I've read some of the famous ones."

     He named the few comics he knew. With bright eyes, Sun Hwa brought her face closer to Juho. He backed off and thought, 'I think I made a mistake.'

     "A character design that is full of dreams, friendship, love and liveliness, and the adventure of the protagonist. Woven through it, there are delicate life lessons and youthfulness that is both sweet and savory. From the clean drawing and solid storyline to a wide range of fans, I can't help but be in awe of this author's talent."

     Juho looked over at Seo Kwang thinking, 'Déjà vu.' With a serious face, Seo Kwang listened to Sun Hwa intently.

     "I recommend his debut work. It's a short story about a girl suffering from a rare disease and an actor who's past his prime. The two characters learn to depend on each other, and they are both determined to live. The direction, the composition, the drawing, the dialogues… It's flawless."

     "Hm."

     "If that means you're interested, I can lend you one right now. It's in my bag."

     "I respectfully decline."

     "Fine."

     Sun Hwa clicked her tongue as Juho turned her down. Seo Kwang came between them and added, "Yeah! He's supposed to be reading the books I recommended first."

     "I don't remember agreeing to that."

     Seo Kwang was completely oblivious to Juho's murmur. He took out a book from his bag and put it in front of Sun Hwa.

     "Alright. I'm sure you've heard of this book. You're a spy if you haven't."

     "Oh, yeah!"

     "Yeah, I recognize it," Sun Hwa and Bom responded simultaneously.

     It was impossible not to know about that book. It was the very book the press had been talking about nonstop. Mr. Moon had brought it up at one point too, the birth of a genius author, Trace of a Bird. It was a critically acclaimed work.

     "I haven't read it yet."

     At that, Seo Kwang's eyes lit up, and he began to tell them the synopsis. It was a story about a boy who was afraid of birds.

     "If you just say that you're interested, I can take it out of my bag right now and lend it to you."

     "Not interested," Sun Hwa declined sharply.

     "I'm for the minorities. I'm a person who would rather swim against the current. Even if I get around to reading it, I'll get to it once the hype dies down."

     "What?! You're a stubborn one aren't you?"

     "What did you just say?"

     From then on, Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa got busy bickering with each other. Bom tried to stop them from fighting, but it was useless.

     Juho left the two bickering and looked around the room. There were various experiment tools in storage. On the left side of the room, there was a mannequin, and next to it, there were desks and chairs that were no longer in use. The room might be called a science room, but it was obvious that it was being used as storage space. Everytime Juho breathed in, there was faint scent of rubbing alcohol.

     Fwoosh!

     At the sound of the door, the four turned their heads at the same time. A guest was standing by the door. Bulky, long-limbed, short hair, thick lips, teeth that were exceptionally white and dark-skinned.

     "Is he black?" someone whispered.

      The End.

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     6 Chapter 6 - The Basics

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     The black boy strode into the room. From the color of his name tag, it was apparent that he was a second year.

     While everyone else was giving the upperclassman a blank stare, Juho remembered who he was. Coming to think of it, there had been a black student in his high school. They had never talked, but Juho remembered his looks and his brusque impression.

     "Hello," Juho said in midst of the silence. As he found his seat, the upperclassman looked at him. The rings arounds his eyes were paler.

     "Hey."

     "You must be part of the Literature Club too."

     "I wouldn't be here otherwise."

     "I'm Juho Woo. Nice to meet you."

     It was a strange sight. He spoke fluent Korean, contrary to his looks. At Juho's greeting, the rest snapped out of it and greeted the new guest.

     "Baron Kim. Second year. You don't have to be so tense."

     Baron looked stern. It was very unusual to be around a black upperclassman in Korea. The others were feeling like they were walking on eggshells, all except for Juho.

     "Would you mind if I call you Baron?"

     "If you want."

     Encouraged by Juho's boldness, Seo Kwang began to ask Baron questions, indirectly, of course, "You and I have the same last name."

     "My father is Korean. I was born here."

     Baron didn't seem to be bothered, but he didn't seem friendly either. The silence returned. As if he were used to it, Baron took out a book from his bag.

     It was the Literature Club after all. The members seemed to possess some level of interest in books. Juho looked intently at the book in Baron's hand. Seeing how fidgety Seo Kwang was getting, it was getting obvious what book it was. Baron's hand was clearly visible wrapped around the white book cover.

     Fwoosh!

     It was Mr. Moon, and that was the signal that the silence had come to an end.

     "Mr. Moon!"

     "Yea, yea! It's me."

     Although the students welcomed him, Mr. Moon remained calm.

     "Everyone's here."

     "Is there only five of us in the club?"

     "Makes roll call that much easier."

     Had there been no promotion or was that one of the lazy clubs? How many high school students liked books? There were only five people in that school who would join a literature club, including Juho.

     Mr. Moon put down the pile of books in his hand and sat across from Baron. Then, he put everything he brought onto the table. At a glance, it was apparent what they were.

     "I'm Song Hak Moon, the homeroom teacher for the Literature Club. Let's have some fun."

     Fun... He seemed oddly excited. His attitude was different from the one he showed in class. It hadn't been that long since Juho met him, but at the moment, he was livelier than ever.

     "You seem much happier than you are in class," said Seo Kwang.

     Juho wasn't the only person who thought Mr. Moon was different from the usual. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was so excited about.

     Mr. Moon spoke with a big smile. It was an innocent smile that you wouldn't normally see in a teacher, "Of course! Teaching you guys is less fun than counting grains of sand in a desert. You don't know the misery I go through every Sunday night do you? Dreading coming here."

     "Um..."

     Of course they wouldn't. He was the first teacher who had said such a thing so confidently. How did one react in that situation? Mr. Moon's face was too vivid to move on with silly jokes.

     Seo Kwang had a big smile on his face. It was sort of unexpected, but once he realized that the teacher was no different from him, he was able to identify with Mr. Moon.

     "Haha!" Seo Kwang laughed out loud now.

     "If I want to make a living, I have to be here. Life is too short to be living with such pain, but that doesn't make teaching any more fun. That's why I looked around the school to find something fun."

     "And that was the Literature Club?" asked Juho. This was one strange teacher.

     "A compilation, to be exact. I found it at the school library."

     The books he had brought were compilations. 'How curious,' Juho didn't know that he could find things like that at the school library.

     "This, is the tradition of the Literature Club. All of the succeeding compilations are being kept at the school library. Thirty-four volumes in total. What we're going to be working on is the thirty-fifth compilation.

     "We're making a compilation?" Sun Hwa asked.

     The compilation books had varying titles and thickness. The content was probably different as well. It looked technical and difficult.

     "It's not all that hard. You're only compiling the process."

     "So, are we writing something for the compilation?" Seo Kwang asked, expecting it to be the club's primary activity, but Mr. Moon cringed.

     "You're not writing to put it into something. That's not fun."

     "Then, what is it?"

     "You can't get the order mixed up. Compilations aren't about the objective. They're about the process. You're leaving a trace behind."

     "I'm not sure I understand," Seo Kwang answered after raising his hand.

     After some more thought, Mr. Moon started again, "Then, forget it."

     "Pardon?"

     It made no sense.

     "You don't have to understand. Anyhow, we, as a Literature Club, will be doing activities that fit the club's name. That should be enough."

     He definitely had no talent for teaching. This had been what Mr. Moon had been wanting to say all along, 'The compilation will complete itself as we write along. In other words, the compilation is memory.'

     "Then, what's an activity that fits the name of our club?"

     "Writing, of course. By the way, make sure you bring your pens and notebooks from now on."

     "Yes, sir…" Everyone replied ambiguously.

     The questions stopped once they realized that there wasn't going to be a decent answer no matter how substantial the questions were. Mr. Moon seemed to be comforted by the fact that there were no more question being asked. It was getting tiresome to think about whether or not a teacher could behave in such a way. Besides, a teacher like Mr. Moon wasn't that bad, surprisingly.

     As Mr. Moon was about to wrap up his orientation, he randomly pointed at Baron.

     "I almost forgot. There's a person who hates writing among our members. I don't like to force people to do things, so I let him in. I won't leave him to be lazy, so don't complain too much. Speaking of which, is there anybody else in this group who hates writing? Does anybody have the guts to say that after joining a literature club? Is there anyone who's twisted on the inside? Now would be the time to speak up. I'll be glad to let you have the floor."

     Despite the message, his tone was pleasant. Thanks to Mr. Moon, the situation was delayed.

     Sun Hwa thought to herself,

     'You refuse to write in a literature club? What was the teacher thinking letting somebody like that into the club? Why is that upperclassman here anyway?'

     "Then, what's Baron going to be doing?" Juho asked Mr.Moon.

     An answer came from behind him, "I'm going to be drawing."

     Juho thought to himself,

     'Drawing. I guess that's kind of romantic. I was expecting something like "I'm going to be on my study guide."'

     He looked at Baron and asked again, "How come?"

     "Because I want to."

     By now, everyone knew better than asking questions like that. Baron didn't feel like explaining himself, even if it meant giving a ridiculous answer.

     Juho gladly left him be.

     "Then, you must be the only art club member in here."

     "...take it as you will."

     Baron looked at Juho with annoyance. Not just Baron, but everyone else.

     "So, no one else is refusing to write?" Mr. Moon confirmed again, and obviously, the result remained the same.

     Clap!

     He shifted the mood with his clap and went straight into teaching.

     "Now, I'll be teaching you the basics of writing. Have you heard of the phrase 'damoon-dadok-dasangryang?'"

     "Um."

     "To put it another way, it means that in order to write well, one must listen a lot, read a lot, and think a lot," Mr. Moon explained before anybody had the time to answer.

     To listen a lot, read a lot and think a lot. That was the secret to writing well according to Ouyang Xiu of China. It came up often during interviews with authors, but it was often said by the authors to make themselves look better. It was rather idiotic.

     "It's very easy to write well."

     "How?"

     "You just write a lot."

     "Egh."

     It was the sound of disappoint. Paying no attention, Mr. Moon carried on, "Do you know what the very first story is when somebody picks up a pen? It's his personal story. A composition, at the end of the day, is a story from a person who writes to be read by another person. The closest person to you is yourself, so naturally, you end up writing about your personal story."

     Mr. Moon opened his palm. There was nothing on it.

     "We have to write a lot. It's the only way to get better. There's a limit to sticking to your own story. What do you do when the inventory is low?"

     "You borrow from another person.

     Satisfied with Juho's answer, Mr.Moon smiled.

     "That's right. You borrow things like an eraser or a pencil from your friend next to you all the time. So we have to borrow raw materials."

     "How do we do that?"

     "You listen, you read, and you think. Start a conversation if that doesn't cut it. Give them something to eat. Bug them if necessary. Pull it out of them."

     What does one write about? Sometime it's found internally, other times externally. Let's say that somebody stepped on a rock. There are some who simply kick it away and carry on, but there are some who listen to the person, their thoughts and feelings to create a story."

     "Let's start with taking an interest in your surroundings. Speaking of which, who sticks out the most?"

     "Who sticks ou…!"

     "A person."

     All eyes were focused on one person. It had to be Baron. He had been the center of attention until a moment ago. Recognizing that attention again, he frowned. He already had an intimidating appearance, but he looked even scarier. Mr. Moon appeared to be happy that his lesson was flowing according to his thoughts and continued, "The minority is bound to stick out. As a homeroom teacher, I'll give you a mission. There's no time requirement. This is also a training to be a good writer."

     "Mission?"

     Ignoring Sun Hwa's dumbfounded murmur, Mr. Moon continued, "Get yourselves a composition from that strange upperclassman. It doesn't matter what. The only condition is that Baron has to write and submit it in person."

     Juho was impressed. A person was bound to be on his toes if he tried to get something from another person. Thinking of ways to get Baron's writing, one would naturally use their eyes and ears. In the process, the chance of growing closer to Baron increased. This entire time, Juho had been thinking that Mr. Moon had no talent in teaching. Yet, that was brilliant.

     "Ha!?" Baron seemed dumbfounded.

     "You may do what you wish now. You can look at your study guide if you want."

     After dropping the bomb, Mr. Moon leisurely made his way out of the science room.

     "Come find me in the staffroom if anything comes up," he added.

     The students who were left behind looked at each other in agreement.

     'Let's not say anything for now. Let's do our own thing.'

      The End.

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     7 Chapter 7 - Self-introduction

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     Sun Hwa and Bom took out their comics, and Baron pulled out a book. Like members of the Literature Club, they were all reading something. Juho, sitting still, picked up one of the compilations. It was 'Volume 34,' the most recent one.

     The publishing date on the book was eight years ago. The compilation was titled 'Memories.' The letters, printed on a yellow background, reminded Juho of autumn, the season for books. The table of contents listed the names of the past members. Seeing how diverse the topics were, the club must have also been pretty flexible back then. Short stories, poems, essays, book report, letters to the incoming members… Juho opened to the middle of the book.

     In slightly awkward sentences, the writer was talking about what the Literature Club meant to him, "The air is cold at school. We walk on the rigid marble floor. I look out through the metal beams. I have no complaints about things like that. It's just that my feet would get unbearably cold at times. So, feeling like I was buying a pair of cheap socks from the street, I joined the Literature Club. When I tried on the pair of yellow socks, they were thicker and warmer than they had seemed."

     "Yellow socks..."

     Maybe that was why the background was yellow.

     "Hm?"

     "There's something written here."

     "What does it say?"

     Seo Kwang took the compilation book from Juho's hand. While he was reading, Juho picked up a different compilation book. His eyes were caught on 'Volume 1.' Juho carefully opened the book, and, there were noticeably more names on the members' list.

     That must have been the club's prime. The book was titled 'The Beginning.' Like the title, it was the beginning of a tradition.

     Upon reading it, Juho learned that that book was closer to being an anthology. It was rather tasteful.

     "Look at this. The two teachers were dating back then."

     "Seriously? Let me see."

     That was a conversation between Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa. Soon, with the exception of Baron, there was a compilation in the hands of each club member. Baron didn't take his eyes off of his book and paid no attention to all the compilation books.

     "Aren't you going to read one, Baron?"

     "I'm good."

     Juho had made the question, but what came back was Baron's dry answer.

     "Who has Volume 1?"

     "Here!"

     "Did you finish it? Can I read it?"

     "Yeah."

     Sun Hwa had asked as if she were reading a comic book. As Bom put down 'Volume 23' after reading it, Juho picked it up. Surprisingly, the science room ghost story was in there. Though after reading it, it seemed to have failed to frighten the students. In addition, there was a serious study on the mannequin. At the very end, was a story of people putting themselves through courage test.

     "They went through a courage test."

     "At night? Is that OK?"

     "They must have sneaked in, and it seems like they never got caught. Let's hope that the principal hasn't read this yet."

     Seo Kwang interrupted as Juho was answering Sun Hwa's question, "That sounds fun. Should we do it too?"

     "You won't find anything at school at night other than the kids who are sticking around for late night study sessions."

     "Where's the romance? I swear…"

     Juho didn't take Seo Kwang's complaint seriously. Next, he picked up 'Volume 17.' Most of the compositions were written as reviews, and it gave Juho the impression that the trendy writing style at the time mimicked book reports. There were reports on various books, both famous and unfamiliar. There was a page with multiple reflections written by a several people after reading a book as a group. As Juho read on, he felt the urge to search for the same book. The brief synopsis aroused his interest. 'Maybe I should stop by the bookstore after school,' thought Juho.

     "This is actually pretty good," Seo Kwang murmured.

     "I'm sure the incoming students will be reading our writing too. I really want to do well," Sun Hwa said.

     Bom gave a big nod. There was vigor in the three students' eyes.

     "Reading this is making me want to wear yellow socks."

     Sun Hwa added to Bom's timid voice, "Let's all get matching socks, all six of us, including the teacher."

     Seo Kwang agreed, "We should have our club name on them too."

     Juho replied with a unimpressed voice, "That sounds tacky just thinking about it."

     ---

     At home, Juho was lying in bed staring at his debut work sitting on the bookshelf. He thought of what Seo Kwang had said earlier. "You haven't read it, haven't you?"

     "Read it or not, I wrote it," Juho quietly repeated the words that he couldn't bring himself to say.

     Nobody was around to listen.

     Seo Kwang gave Juho book recommendations repeatedly after that day. When giving a recommendation, some sort of responsibility was bound to follow. There was an assessment on whether the recommendation met the other party's tastes. That wasn't just for the other person, but it was also for the one recommending the book. Did the one doing the recommendation introduce something that could be well-received? Was the recommendation to the person's satisfaction?

     According to his own assessment result, Seo Kwang excelled at recommending books.

     Every single one of his recommendations had been nothing but gems. By default, Juho read all books without discrimination, but just like everyone else, he did have authors or topics that he was particularly drawn to. Seo Kwang was impeccable when it came to picking out books that Juho might like.

     Juho had been quite satisfied with Seo Kwang's recommendations, but there was one thing that he fell short on.

     Without fail, Seo Kwang always recommended 'The Trace of a Bird.'

     Juho didn't feel the same way toward his own writing as other people. Also, he didn't really feel like reading it. He sat up after thinking about Seo Kwang and his tireless efforts.

     "Maybe I should check it out. It's been a while."

     Seo Kwang was a passionate fan after all, reading the book that left Juho dissatisfied. Writings existed to be read. An author didn't exist without a reader.

     Juho picked up the book and opened it to a random page. It was the part when the protagonist "Yun" gets out of bed at night to go for a walk. Yun washed his face and changed his clothes in the dark. He could do nothing until his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light.

     As Juho read on, he had one thought, 'Just turn on the light, caveman.'

     Most of the book took place at night. Juho had been strict about setting the character's activities at night. He wanted Yun to be lonely.

     An empty cup was needed in order to fill it with water.

     All the existing characters had their own views of the 'bird.' They turned away, killed, neglected and searched for it. It sounded multifaceted, but all of those characters possessed one true color. Night dyed everything in darkness.

     After reading about five lines, Juho forcefully closed the book. Even at a glimpse, it was incredibly cringe-worthy and pretentious.

     "Why is this so popular anyway?"

     ---

     "Hello," Juho greeted Baron as he walked into the science room.

     Keeping his eyes on his book, Baron replied, "You don't have to greet me every time."

     His tone was dry. It wasn't a consideration of an upperclassman trying to make the underclassman feel less burdened. It was like a line that had been drawn on the desk. 'It's my turf past this line. Don't you dare cross it.'

     At that moment, that big, black upperclassman seemed a bit more innocent. It was the privilege of a child to blatantly put up a wall.

     One could draw all the lines they wanted, but the reality of the world was that it was nearly impossible for one to own that solitary land.

     "I'll still say hi."

     "..."

     Without a word, Baron redirected his attention to his book. There was approval in what he had done.

     "Everyone seems to be present," Mr. Moon came in last without even bringing his attendance sheet.

     "I guess ditching isn't an option," Seo Kwang murmured.

     The small number of people was definitely not a plus.

     "Everyone brought something to write with and on?"

     "Yes, sir."

     On a long desk, there were five notebooks. Sun Hwa had a matching notebook to Bom's. They had to have bought it together.

     "Good. Technically, today's the official first day. On the first day, I believe self-introduction to be a must."

     Sun Hwa let out a short groan. She was direct when it came to expressing her feelings. Bom was sitting next to her, and she didn't appear to be all that excited. Expressing themselves in front of a crowd while being the center of attention was a tall order for most Korean teenagers.

     "Could I have one person come out at a time?"

     "Mr. Moon, is this necessary? We got pretty close last time."

     Everyone agreed with Sun Hwa.

     "Not with me."

     Sun Hwa stopped talking, as if she had been stricken by her conscience to say that Mr.Moon was part of the circle. At that, like he knew all about it, Mr.Moon nodded.

     "This is because you guys don't want to be in front of people, right? Then let's do this. Since we're a Literature Club, let's all write them out?"

     "Oh! Yes, please!"

     It didn't matter to Juho, but he did feel more comfortable writing, so he quietly agreed. Since nobody had to stand at the front to introduce themselves, everyone took to their pens with pleasure.

     "How much do we write?"

     "However much you like."

     "So, it's OK if I write one line?" Seo Kwang asked playfully.

     Mr. Moon responded nonchalantly, "If you can express yourself in one sentence, then be my guest."

     "That sounds harder."

     Seo Kwang didn't say anything else and immersed himself in his thoughts, 'How should I start? Probably best to start with my name.'

     He thought of the most generic self-introduction, 'I am so and so. I'm so many years old. My hobby is reading and listening to music.'

     "This could be better."

     Seo Kwang went back to the basics. A self-introduction, from its definition, was writing that introduced yourself to another person. Yourself to another person, maybe one could think in reverse and write about things that the other person might want to know about "yourself."

     'What would Mr. Moon want to know about me? My grades? Maybe my writing skills since this is the Literature Club.' By that point, Seo Kwang quietly asked himself, 'Are you good at writing?' There was only one answer: 'I don't know either.'

     Seo Kwang sighed. How could he introduce himself when he didn't even know himself?

     "My ego hasn't been fully formed."

     "You went that far with the self-introduction?" Juho asked with a smile.

     Seo Kwang glimpsed at Juho's note. It was blank, just like his own. How was he so calm?

     "I don't know myself, so how can YOU know ME?"

     "I thought this was supposed to a self-introduction, but you seem like you're more on the self-realization side. Good for you."

     Seo Kwang explained his stream of consciousness to Juho, "What if you write 'I know nothing about myself.'?"

     "I'd sound like a rebel."

     "It's true though."

     "Hm," Seo Kwang contemplated it. He didn't fully agree with Juho because he knew Juho wasn't right.

     "I mean, I know something."

     Juho shrugged his shoulder as if he weren't seeing a problem.

     "Then you should write about what you do know."

     "Ah!" Seo Kwang exclaimed. It felt like he had finally figured out where things had gone wrong. He decided to be honest. When he focused on what others might want to know about him, he couldn't write a single word. 'Juho, this guy, maybe he knew it all along.'

     Juho was resting his jaw on his hand, staring off into thin air. His page was still empty. Maybe he didn't really know.

     "You put a lot of thought into this."

     "What the... Why are you eavesdropping?"

     "It's not like I'm not sitting right next to you. No wonder you can't write anything. Draw a line so that something comes out."

     "Aha! So, that's how you ended up with eraser dust everywhere. Can you stop blowing it on me?"

     There was about a third of a page worth of writing in Sun Hwa's notebook. It was surrounded by eraser dust. When Seo Kwang blatantly moved the dust away, Sun Hwa glared at him. He wasn't backing out either.

     "At least I wrote something, unlike somebody."

     "Juho's page is blank too, you know."

     "Look to your side."

     Seo Kwang looked to where Sun Hwa was pointing. In no time, his notebook had been filled about a third way.

     "What the, when did you write all that?"

     "When you were busy talking," Juho responded as he kept moving his pen. Feeling a sense of urgency, Seo Kwang stopped his quarrel with Sun Hwa and started writing in a hurry.

      The End

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

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     8 Chapter 8 - Smelly-Grilled Mackerel

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Take care of yourself."

     "Alright, be safe."

     Mr. Moon sent the students away and stayed behind, in the science room, on his own. There were five notebooks piled up on the desk, all submitted by the members. They were new and spotless.

     He opened the notebook on the top of the pile. It was the time to listen to the voices of his young pupils.

     'My name is Sun Hwa Ahn. I'm 17 years old, and my blood type is B. I'm maintaining my grades at a higher tier, and my hobby is reading comic books. I enjoy comics. The reason why I joined the Literature Club instead of the Comic Club is that the Comic Club at our school is not a genuine club.'

     From that point on, Sun Hwa wrote at good length on her complaints toward the school's club management. Wasn't it supposed to be a self-introduction?

     About half of what she wrote was about comics. When it came to the things she liked, they were described in great detail.

     'I hope you can view me as a bright and healthy student! Thank you Mr. Moon!"

     She was straightforward to the end. She had the courage to speak up about the things she liked. Mr. Moon was able to immediately picture Sun Hwa. Considering how it painted a fairly accurate picture of herself, that had been a decent self-introduction.

     He picked up the second notebook. It was a similar notebook to Sun Hwa's, and it wasn't hard to guess who it belonged to.

     'My name is Bom Yoon. I'm 17, and my blood type is A. My hobby is reading. I like both comics and literature. I joined the Literature Club at the suggestion of a friend. Everyone here seems to have distinct personalities, so I look forward to being part of this club. Thank you Mr. Moon.'

     That was it. There were traces of her erasing in the blank space. Timid and a woman of few words, it seemed like she was still working on introducing herself. Despite the length, it was easy to identify her characteristics. She was complimenting a group of people around her when she had barely met them. Her style was similar to Sun Hwa's. Her self-introduction was focused more on the others than herself.

     Perhaps she's sensitive to her surroundings.

     After some thought, Mr. Moon moved onto the next notebook. The name Seo Kwang Kim was visible.

     'To Mr. Moon.

     This is Seo Kwang Kim. I've chosen the Literature Club as my first club after coming up to high school. The reason why I didn't choose another club that could potentially look better on my school record is simply because I'm not interested in getting good grades. Nobody enjoys studying, but I seriously despise being forced to do something.

     My parents call me immature. They say that I'm going to regret this in the future, but I know for a fact that regret isn't going to be the only sentiment I feel when I look back to this moment.

     I love books. That's the reason why I joined the Literature Club. The first time I came to like books was the moment I shed a tear onto the page of a book. I've cried reading a book in the past. It was an amazing experience. Although I wasn't listening to beautiful music or was able to see gorgeous colors, I was being moved from deep within.'

     Mr. Moon related to Seo Kwang's statement. You could never forget the moment of being moved by that thing called a book. Many people kept crying and laughing from stories left by great storytellers. A person could grow solely through that.

     Seo Kwang described himself at the end in a single line, 'Your pupil who's in love with all of the stories in this world, Seo Kwang Kim.'

     Next was Baron. When that kid showed up to the staffroom for the first time, Mr. Moon was honestly shocked.

     "I want to draw."

     Mr. Moon replied, "I'm a literature teacher."

     Then, Baron answered, "I'm aware."

     'Who would've thought a rebel could be so polite?' Mr.Moon quickly gave him permission. 'It was good to have at least one person around who liked to go against the flow. Others could find that a motivation to write.'

     What kind of things would a artist pupil of a literature teacher draw?

     Mr. Moon opened the sketchbook and smiled with satisfaction. It was a very familiar drawing, a bird in a white background. It immediately reminded him of a book cover, and he felt a small bit of relief. After reading that book, he had to feel something, whatever that might be.

     Mr. Moon picked up the last notebook, Juho Woo's. That kid was hard to read. He seemed innocent, but on the other hand, mature. He appeared to have a floaty kind of personality, but at the same time, he blended well with others. It was hard to tell if he was calm or just absent-minded.

     'Maybe his introduction will tell me.'

     He turned the page.

     "Oh man, this kid."

     Could that be better described as brilliant or off the wall? Mr. Moon chuckled at the title written on the first sentence.

     'About Grilled Mackerel.

     Mackerel is referred to as the blue fish. Its clean, buttery-tasting meat is worthy of being called "the porkbelly of the sea." If the fish is of high quality, all it needs is a little salt. Otherwise, it will require a bit of trimming. This is to eliminate the fishy smell.

     Prepare some rice water or water with a little bit of soybean paste. Soak the fish for about ten minutes, then wash it in running water. The odor will disappear. If you add lemon or finely ground daikon radish and soy sauce, the fish becomes a delicacy.

     I'm always eating grilled mackerel that's been tidily prepared. Only, my father is not fond of that.

     He dislikes the fact that the human hand is extinguishing even the essence of the ocean. Even if it were the fishiest smelling mackerel, he says that he prefers that over the mackerel that's been prepared to people's liking.

     Standing next my father longing for the lost essence of the fish, I find myself subconsciously picturing him when he was full of the fragrance of life.

     With a hope of having grilled mackerel for dinner tonight, I now bring this composition to an end.'

     "Grilled Mackerel."

     'I like it.' Mr. Moon read Juho's writing again. It was flawless as a self-introduction.

     "I wouldn't have know. This kid is very interesting. Are kids good at writing by default nowadays?" Murmured Mr. Moon as he thought of a young author in his head.

     ---

     As Juho read in his room, he heard the front door opening. His mother was home.

     "Welcome back."

     "You must be hungry. I'll grill some mackerel."

     "Sure."

     Juho felt awkward about speaking to his parents in casual language. For some time, he had been speaking to them properly. His parents were thinking that their son had grown up after moving up to high school.

     "What about father?"

     "He must be busy at work. He said he'll be late."

     His mother took off her work clothes and immediately started cooking in the kitchen. As soon as she walked into the kitchen, there was vigor in the house. Rustling, the sound of chopping, smell of fish… All those came together and transformed into a mouth-watering smell. With hands of experience, she had quickly filled the dinner table. She hadn't been doing that for mere a day or two. It was precise, and skillful. All Juho could do was to place the utensils on the table or scooping rice into the bowls.

     "Thank you for the food."

     Juho took some the white mackerel meat from the plate and put it in his mouth. The meat was just buttery enough, giving it a smooth texture. It was perfectly combined with rice. He felt like he could eat an entire bowl just with the mackerel.

     "Is everything OK at school?"

     "Of course."

     "Has there been anything interesting lately?"

     As usual, she calmly asked about her son's day. Naturally, Juho told his mother about what had happened that day. It was mostly about what he had talked about with his friends or funny things his teachers had said. When it came to the club activity in the science room, Juho only picked things that his mother might laugh at. In response, Juho's mother started sharing about her day and the things that happened between the neighbors.

     "It's impossible to have a conversation with that lady. It's like she's from another dimension."

     "Is that right?"

     "Yeah! She even talks like a baby."

     Then, she impersonated the lady's speech. Her lisp was rather funny. After they had finished talking, she added these words as always, "There are things that should stay within the family. Just because I said what I said, you can't be going around telling your friends. You know what I mean?"

     "I understand."

     Her concern for her son was habitual. After cleaning up, she cut up some persimmons. They were sweet and pleasant. After Juho took a bite from a soft piece of persimmon, his mother asked, "How are you feeling these days?"

     To that unexpected question, Juho asked back, "What do you mean?"

     "You're famous now. Your books are selling well. Are you excited?"

     Juho's mother said it playfully, but Juho wasn't that naive. He sensed concern behind her words. It had to be something about her son becoming arrogant from the unexpected success. There had been moments like that in the past. His mother would carefully ask Juho a question after dinner, and back then, her immature son found her concern to be a hassle.

     His parents had to have been caught off guard by their son's success. They probably weren't sure of how to raise him properly in such a situation. Coming to think of it, Juho's parents had always done their best to encourage him. He was solely responsible for neglecting their words and choosing not to listen. A child was not some creature that grew according to how its parents raised it. The reason Juho's life came to such an end was because of his choices.

     "It is exciting."

     "Still, you know that you shouldn't be too excited, right? Things could fall apart at any moment."

     "I know. That's why I've been putting all my money into the savings account."

     "Great, that's my son! You're the spice of my life."

     Juho reassured his mother, and for the first time in a while, he spent time with her in front of a TV.

     "Honey, the mackerel is too fishy. Do we have any lemon?"

     "It's a fish. It's supposed to smell like that. We don't have any, so you'll just have to eat it."

     Coming in late from work, Juho's father had to get an earful from his wife after complaining about the mackerel.

     ---

     "Hey, play a different song. Something exciting."

     "Got it."

     The music filled the classroom. It had been a trend to listen to music during recess using the computer in the classroom. The song selection usually varied depending on who was sitting in front of the podium, but it was generally pop.

     The class president held the mouse today, and unlike other days, he played a music video of a foreign pop singer. Seeing the sexy dance moves, the boys cheered and whistled. Even the girls joined in. 'Take me.' The sound of laughter mingled with the music.

     While bobbing his head to the intro of the song, Juho realized that he felt like the lyrics were being translated simultaneously and focused on listening.

     "Why do you look so serious listening to a song?"

     "I had something to think about."

     While he enjoyed the song, Seo Kwang saw Juho with a serious face and laughed. Juho paid no attention and kept listening. After testing himself for several days, Juho realized that his head was able to translate any language after some time. It wasn't just English.

     Click.

     The phenomenon began with a sound that rang out in Juho's head. It was bizarre. He remembered seeing some five or seven year old prodigies on TV. Those kids learned several languages on their own and shocked the adults around them. Were those kids learning languages by using the same ability as Juho?

     "Hey, there's something going on outside," Seo Kwang said with his eyes fixed on the hallway.

     "Huh?"

     By the time Juho had stopped thinking and reconnected with reality, there was a sharp scream. The music stopped, and the kids came out of their class one by one. Seo Kwang and Juho also left their seats to see what was happening. Kids who were walking on the hallway stopped and approached the scene. There was nothing at the center of the crowd standing in a circle.

     "What's going on?"

     "I can't really see."

     The kids closed in to get a better look. All of a sudden, the circle broke apart and split open like Moses splitting the red sea. There were screams occasionally. It was neither a god, nor a person that walked through the opening of the crowd. It was a centipede, with more legs than anyone could count.

     "Oh, my! It's huge!"

     "That is so gross!"

     "Somebody, kill it."

     The centipede was busy moving around between the kids' feet. From the centipede's perspective, that group of kids probably had more legs. The centipede had to have probably realized it by now,

     'I shouldn't have come here.'

     Due to the school being close to a mountain, Juho heard a teacher saying that centipedes were a common find. The first years were on a high alert because a centipede had appeared before them. The school being in Seoul, most kids probably weren't used to seeing centipedes right in front of their eyes.

     "It might be poisonous."

     Squirming what looked like either a head or tail, the centipede came closer. It was a threat. That thing was dangerous.

     "Let's kill it!"

      The End

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     9 Chapter 9 - Charades

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Somebody use your slipper to kill it! This is the chance to be hero!"

     "Ahh! I'm scared!"

     "Somebody kill it!"

     Sensing hostility from the humans, the centipede moved about all the more busily. Only, it was headed in a bad direction. The students ran away screaming while its countless legs moved restlessly. The standoff continued at a distance. The hallway was growing increasingly chaotic.

     "Move."

     At that moment, one of the students took off his slipper and started walking toward the centipede. Others who appeared to be his friends gave him an exaggerated cheer. There was playfulness in the boy holding the slipper in his hand. Without hesitating, he approached the centipede and raised his hand up. Underneath him was the centipede.

     Juho reached out to stop him.

     "Wait!"

     The voice didn't belong to Juho's. At that slightly awkward, yet resounding voice, the boy stopped what he was doing. The others stopped talking.

     It was the foreign teacher. He was known as James. His Korean was still awkward. Many students trembled with anxiety that he might try to strike a conversation with them. To those students, English was a much greater fear than a mere centipede.

     Seeing the crowd of students on the first years' floor on his way to prepare for class, James approached them. Flustered, the boy holding the slipper was struggling for words. Others who had been cheering and those who had been screaming were all staring at that, tall foreigner of a teacher. They hoped somebody would give him an explanation.

     Unaware of the students' heart, James spoke without hesitation. Of course, in English.

     "Oh, my! There's a centipede here. I have an idea of what the situation is. This is a rather threatening presence for the adorable first years. But we must not forget the fact that we're all part of nature. A slipper is not a tool for murder. It's an object that protects your feet. Now, let your slipper serve its purpose."

     Surprisingly, the student understood and placed his slipper back onto his foot. Of course, it wasn't because he was fluent in English. As he backed out, he spoke to one of the students who had been cheering for him.

     "That was lit! I just understood everything he was saying!"

     Body language was rather universal. James' body language communicated his thoughts with an admirable result. With such an amazing communication method, his lack of fluency in Korean didn't seem to be an issue.

     "Somebody bring me a dustpan and a broom. I'll take the centipede out."

     At James acted out using a broom, the students looked at each other. "Who wants to go get it?" As big of a crowd as it was, nobody wanted go.

     As he watched, Juho went into the class and grabbed a broom and a dustpan out of the cleaning supply closet.

     "Thank you."

     With care, James placed the dustpan in the centipede's path. It took interest in the orange plastic, and crawled right into it. James waited until its long body had thoroughly made its way into the pan, then said proudly to the students around, "Please go back to your classes. You should rest during recess."

     Even with a dustpan with the centipede in it, James' gestures made sense to the students. The crowd disbanded, and they all went their separate ways.

     "Aren't you going?"

     "I'm getting the broom and the dustpan back. You go back and enjoy the rest of the music."

     "OK. Have fun!"

     After sending Seo Kwang back, Juho walked alongside James. With a puzzled expression on his face, James asked him, "Is there a problem?"

     "The broom and the dustpan in your hands belong to our class, so I wanted to take it back. I wanted to see the centipede returning to nature too."

     James seemed surprised for moment, but hearing his native language for the first time in a while, he replied with gladness.

     "Your English is really good. I'm surprised. Do you have any friends who are foreigners?"

     Juho thought of Baron for a brief moment, but he was more fluent in Korean than English. Besides, they hardly talked to each other.

     "No."

     "Or maybe you're from another country yourself. Are you an exchange student?"

     "No way."

     "Are you mixed?"

     "No. I've never been to another country."

     James groaned at Juho's answers to his questions, even predicting his next question. He thought briefly and continued, "Then there must have been an opportunity in your life I'm not aware of," he said confidently.

     Juho's language acquisition route had been slightly different from the norm. After some consideration, Juho replied, "I somehow found myself like this."

     At his vague answer, James laughed heartily. He seemed to be thinking that Juho had a secret that he was too shy to talk about. If that was the case, then that was a big plus for Juho, and he quietly swallowed his explanations. As James laughed, his hands moved left and right, which meant the centipede in the dustpan was being tossed around. It didn't seem like it was a comfortable ride for the centipede.

     At the school's backyard, James swung his arms like a discus thrower. The centipede flew through the air and landed on a leaf. After observing its surroundings, it went on its way. 'I hope it doesn't get lost this time.'

     After looking at the centipede for a while, James suddenly started talking, "You can learn a language rather quickly given the opportunity. The reason why our students struggle so much with English is because they're not given the opportunity. Without it, there's no drive, and the process only becomes painful."

     Writing out dictation out of concern for a grade or the future was just exhausting. Learning was not the result.

     "A classroom is not where you start. You have to go out and find that opportunity. Only then, you can learn a language. That's the start. It honestly doesn't feel real to me that I'm teaching English to these students. It kind of feels like you're watering a dying plant with wine instead of water."

     That was a rather uncommon analogy. His body language seemed to be easier to understand, so Juho asked light-heartedly, "So, is your Korean awkward because you weren't given the opportunity?"

     "Haha, that is correct. I'm still looking for an opportunity to learn. I'm also single." Then, James added playfully, "Do you know any women? Introduce me to them."

     'Is he asking a student about introducing him to women? This school somehow has a number of teachers who don't act like they're teachers.'

     "I may be fluent enough in English to not require further education in the subject, but I'm still a student."

     "Huh!? So you didn't learn English because you were into foreign women? At that age, the interest toward the opposite gender tends to be more intense. I went out a lot too when I was in school."

     Somehow, James appeared to be filled with confidence as he reminisced about his past. Juho's father would make a similar face at times. Everyone's memory tended to beautify itself, both natives or foreigners alike.

     "Thanks for lending me these. I'll see you in class."

     James handed the broom and the dustpan back to Juho and went into a classroom at the opposite side of the building. He was a pleasant person, a master of body language, and lover of nature. Juho thought about the kind of story that would come out with James as the protagonist, 'It'd probably have a feel of a rowdy street concert with cheerful melodies and cymbals that were particularly loud.'

     "Aren't you determined."

     Sun Hwa had been the first to act on the mission given to the club members, the mission of getting a writing sample out of Baron. Accompanied by Bom, she came to Juho's class and said, "I'm going to try talking to Baron today. Don't stop me."

     "I'm not going to. Do you have a plan though?"

     "Of course! I may not look like it, but I can afford to be comfortable with my grades. I'm a thinker."

     "Don't you mean you just gave up on your grades?"

     Sun Hwa glared at Seo Kwang as he sneered at her. Bom spoke up in midst of the staring contest, "Sun Hwa has really good grades. Even in middle school, she was in top ten in the entire school. She's works really hard."

     "You hear that?"

     "Huh! I'm surprised you even have time to study when you read so many comics."

     "Everything's a balance. I'm a woman of wisdom, so it's a piece of cake for me to hit two rabbits with one stone."

     "At the very least, I can see that you lack humility."

     Juho spoke up to put the conversation back on track, "So how are you going to approach Baron?"

     As if she was waiting for that, Sun Hwa replied with a smile, "Head on."

     "I thought you said you were a thinker?"

     Bom laughed nervously at Seo Kwang's remark. She seemed to be struggling to think of words to vouch for her friend. Considering her demeanor so far, it suited her.

     Regardless of grades, there was no hesitation in the way Sun Hwa treated people. One could argue that the depth of a relationship wasn't proportionate to time, but with the exception of Baron, everyone in the Literature Club had grown very close to each other almost instantly. That was partly due to Sun Hwa's proactivity. Seo Kwang appeared to be social, but he's had a cautious and watchful side. Bom didn't speak much or act on things proactively. In other words, Sun Hwa was basically the captain.

     "What good is a strategy when you're trying to win someone over? If your heart connects with that person, you can relate with them about anything."

     "OK, so let's say that what you're saying is true. How are you going to connect your heart with Baron?"

     In response to Seo Kwang, Sun Hwa took out a book. There was a drawing of a hill on the cover. Covered in dirt, the five characters from the book were climbing that very hill. They generally gave off a pleasant impression.

     "This comic is all that it takes to connect with a person heart-to-heart. You would know, Seo Kwang. A book has the power to move people's hearts."

     "So, a book. Guess I don't have a choice. I'll be rooting for you."

     Before they knew, their hearts were connecting. It would have been ideal if things played out like they had done between those two, but how would Baron respond?

     Like a captain, Sun Hwa ran up to the second years' floor. The other three followed.

     Bothered by Sun Hwa asking him to come out, Baron walked out into the hallway. Bom looked at Sun Hwa, looking even more nervous than her friend. Seo Kwang and Juho observed with fascination.

     "Baron."

     "What?" he blurted out a short reply.

     As if she had been expecting it, Sun Hwa continued, "Would you write me something?"

     Straight to the point. There was no beating around the bush to keep him happy. She stood tall and confidently before Baron. It was admirable. Having that kind of side to her, perhaps Sun Hwa was the toughest one in the club. With that spirit, she was worthy of being a general.

     As if she were putting down her sword, Sun hwa pulled out her comic book.

     "This was the comic that moved me the most my entire life. When you read this, you'll find yourself getting filled with companionship. I guarantee it. If you write about how deeply you've been moved, you'd be able to write at least ten pages. Baron, please by my companion."

     Bom turned pale. As if she didn't see that, Sun Hwa was confident. 'How would this plan work? Would it bring down Baron's wall?'

     Appearing dumbfounded, Baron smirked, "No."

     "Oh, come on!"

     The two began quarreling. It was an argument between Sun Hwa trying to get Baron to take her book, and Baron rejecting her. He seemed to be caught off guard by how proactive Sun Hwa had been. It was visible that Baron didn't know what to do. He was not used to such an initiative. Perhaps that was going to work after all.

     "Baron, the bell's about to ring. I have to go soon. Please, take it."

     "I said I don't need it. Just go already."

     "If you read this book, you'll be shedding tears before you know it, and your writing will practically write itself. You're going to want to find a companion and go on an adventure. Then, come find me in class."

     "I don't know where your class is, and I'm not planning on going there. Not to mention, I'm not writing anything."

     "Fine. Please just take the book then. Just the book."

     The two kept on quarreling, but even until the end, Baron didn't take the Sun Hwa's book.

      The End

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

      ebook which is a free download at

     wWw.EbookUpdates.Net

     .

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     Ebook Updates . Net

     .

     10 Chapter 10 - Inside of a Pouch 1

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     Some people would've taken the book if things had risen to such a degree, but Baron was quite stubborn. Of course, it made sense considering that he had joined the Literature Club to draw.

     Sun Hwa watched him as he went back inside without regrets. She cringed and pouted her lips.

     "He's playing hard-to-get. It doesn't hurt anyone to write anything for someone."

     "Don't be too disappointed," Bom encouraged her. As if she had been waiting, Sun Hwa nodded.

     "You're right. This ain't over yet."

     She was determined. Standing a few steps away from where Baron was, Seo Kwang said with a serious face, "I didn't think he'd turn her down. He's cold."

     "Seriously. I suppose the head-to-head strategy is a fail."

     "What?! Are you saying that we have to win him over?"

     "I'm not sure."

     There wasn't much information on Baron. The strategy had been a fail, but seeing how Sun Hwa wasn't about to give up anytime soon, things were unclear at that point. Sun Hwa was willing to tackle things head on until the end. 'Besides, who knows?'

     "Let's go back to class for now."

     The first years went their separate ways before the bell. That was the last recess, when they could rest peacefully.

     Sun Hwa ran up the stairs in every recess. She was persistent about talking to Baron. Because of that, the rest of the club members had to follow her around.

     "Hello, Baron."

     "Hey."

     "Please write me something while you're at it."

     "Go."

     Or...

     "Baron, where you going?"

     "To the restroom."

     "Then, could you write me something there?"

     "No."

     Or...

     "Baron, do you know what's for lunch?"

     "I don't know."

     "I knew you wouldn't, so I looked into it. It's rice curry. It'd be great if you could write me a review after…"

     "I'm not eating."

     Still, she didn't give up.

     "Baron, how's this class?"

     "So-so."

     "I'm concerned about my future. Could you write me something encouraging?"

     "You worry about your own future."

     Although Baron answered awkwardly at first, having a visitor between every class was quickly getting old. As he walked out of the restroom, Sun Hwa asked, "How was your number two, Baron?"

     "...It was number one."

     "Is that so? I brought a book in case you get bored while you're on the toilet."

     "I said it was number one! I don't need that either," Baron answered her looking fed up.

     The three who had been following Sun Hwa spoke up tiredly, "Is there anything she won't say?"

     "That's Sun Hwa for you."

     "Yeah…" Bom answered quietly with her head lowered, as if she was embarrassed.

     Things were getting physical. Whenever there was a chance, Sun Hwa walked up the stairs to look for Baron. She wasn't even having long conversations with him, a few exchanges at most.

     To get Baron's answer, she moved tirelessly.

     "Admirable," the three murmured.

     Both of Sun Hwa and Baron were incredible. They could probably do anything they wanted with such persistence. On top of that, seeing how Baron was resisting Sun Hwa, there was no way that he would end up having to co-sign anything by force in the future.

     The quarrel between the two lasted until after school and well into club activities. Baron rejected her until the end.

     With the exception of Baron, the four headed to the science room and leaned against the desk. When was the last time they had to go up and down stairs like that? They were exhausted.

     "Recklessness won't work."

     "What do you mean recklessness? We'll connect eventually."

     'Does she ever get tired?' She was still saying the same things, and Juho responded with a weak voice, "I can't do this much longer."

     "Me neither. Baron's actually kind of patient. I would have driven Sun Hwa out if I were him."

     "At least he's not the violent type."

     "More like Buddha."

     "Are you guys talking behind my back right now?"

     "Calm down, Sun Hwa."

     What stopped her wasn't Bom, but Mr. Moon and Baron's sudden appearance.

     "Are you guys coming from P.E? Why do you all look so tired?"

     The members couldn't deny those words.

     "We'll be officially starting our activities today."

     "Yes, sir."

     "What do you think we're going to be doing?"

     That was an unexpected question.

     "Whatever we have to do today."

     At Seo Kwang's answer, Mr.Moon nodded lightly. They were going to be doing what they needed to do that day. What could that be?

     "What do you think I was referring to?"

     As soon as she heard the question, Sun Hwa remembered the principal's speech at the beginning of every semester. They were all about attitude or state of mind. She raised her hand and replied, "A pure, unadulterated heart."

     Without hesitation, Mr. Moon made a 'X' with his hands.

     "All of our hearts have already been attacked by microscopic dust. Next," he said it refreshingly. It would have felt like fresh air to people who had been breathing polluted air.

     'How can he say things like that to his students?'

     Sun Hwa pouted her lips, not knowing if she was wrong or if she was offended by Mr. Moon's answer. Next was Seo Kwang. His answer wasn't all that different from Sun Hwa's, "How about basic endurance? The P.E teacher always says that we need to work on our endurance."

     "I don't expect endurance from kids who get less activity time than prisoners. Next."

     "Wow! Really?! Do we get less sunlight than prisoners do?"

     "That was a bit harsh," Seo Kwang murmured. He was a growing teenager who would soon be taking on the burdens of the future of the country. The prisoners were burdened by their crimes, but it was hard to tell who was actually being punished at that point.

     "I'm not sure. What could it be?"

     "It's not body or the mind… What else is there?"

     Bom and Sun Hwa exchanged words as they contemplated on the answer. It didn't seem like it was coming to them. Juho was watching Seo Kwang complaining about the harsh reality of the moment. In that moment, his eyes met with Mr. Moon's.

     "What do you think the answer is?" asked Mr. Moon.

     That was the first official day of club activities, so Juho stared into the ceiling for a little while and asked, "We're going to be writing, right?"

     "Yes."

     "You need a good vocabulary if you are to write."

     "So?"

     "That must mean we have to know our lexemes."

     Mr. Moon made a big circle with his hands.

     "Ding, ding, ding!"

     It was the most lifeless sound effect. Perhaps for that reason, even after finding out the answer, they weren't all that excited. Sun Hwa and Seo Kwang had a moment of realization and exclaimed, "Aha!"

     "The answer's simpler than I thought."

     "The thing that's really important when you write is vocabulary."

     Mr. Moon opened his hands. At the end of them was Seo Kwang.

     "What do you think about when you can't think of a word?"

     "Eh? What do I think about? Um… I think… that I can't think of anything?"

     "Not exactly wrong, but not exactly what I'm looking for either."

     Next, Mr. Moon pointed to Bom. Slightly flustered, she continued, "Um… So… I think that it would be nice if the word I'm looking is written down somewhere… Because it feels like it's not in my head."

     Her voice was growing timid, but Mr.Moon nodded.

     "That's right. There's the answer I've been looking for. We look around when we can't think of a word. That is a subconscious act which assumes that the word we're looking for can be found in our surroundings. Therefore!" he emphasized the last word, accentuating his point. "We take the words that are rolling around out there and make them ours."

     Those were interesting words. Everyone seemed to be half-curious and half-concerned. For now, Baron was also listening to Mr. Moon.

     "You each own a pouch."

     "A pouch? We don't have a pouch."

     After Seo Kwang's answered, Mr. Moon dropped his head as if the fun was spoiled.

     "Use your imagination and come up with an answer. You're all part of the Literature Club, where it's all about creativity."

     Mr. Moon was making a ridiculous demand.

     "This so-called vocabulary pouch. In there, you'll find words that you use often, whereas there won't be any words that you don't use. As a starting point, an author should know a vast number of synonyms. Imagine filling up that skinny pouch of yours with words. Filling up that pouch until it's about to explode is the quickest way to develop your vocabulary. Prepare for the winter that's about to come in your heads. This is to prepare for the 'food shortage.'"

     'Food Shortage, huh?! Interesting choice of words.' Running out words as an author was definitely a nightmare. It was like having to starve to death in a winter that came without notice. Juho had never struggled to think of a particular word, but he did possess an unusual fear. He was afraid of using up all the words that he kept inside of him. It was not a pleasant thought.

     Mr. Moon continued to give out instructions.

     "From now on, you guys have try to recall words. Keep them in your mouths and clasp them in your hand.

     "But words are not physical beings."

     "And that's a good thing. Biting and sucking on something alive is the quickest way to get arrested. Thankfully, words, as they explain themselves, mean words. They may not be physical, but you'll find them everywhere."

     Mr. Moon spun his hand around and pointed to his surroundings.

     "It's not overstatement to say that the world you're currently living in is made of words. House. Car. Drink. Money."

     As expected, he was blurting out things that a student wouldn't be able to understand. 'Underage drinking is illegal, Mr. Moon,' thought Juho.

     "Same goes for this room."

     "Now that you mention it, I think I'm slowly coming to grasp of it all. It feels like this room is shrinking as if it weren't real. It's like magic," Seo Kwang said it light-heartedly.

     That storage room called a science room was full of things that weren't used in a regular basis. Naming those things alone would bring in quite a few words.

     "See, speak, listen and write. Interpret. It's not a bad idea to refer to a dictionary and create an example using words. You could always cite a phrase that you may have walked by or from a book. You have plenty of pieces of paper. Fill them up all the way. Be affectionate."

     The more difficult the instructions became, the darker their expressions grew.

     Mr. Moon encouraged his students, "Let's try getting the words out our mouths. Say them with your lips, write them down and then organize them. Write them on the piece of paper you brought, including the words that other people found. You can interpret them on your own later. Let's start with Sun Hwa."

     "Yes, sir."

     Sun Hwa stood up courageously. She seemed confident. As she looked around preparing, Mr. Moon brought a stopwatch and showed it to her.

     "Say as many words as you can in two minutes. Since it's your first time, I'll set a limit. Say anything you can find in this room."

     "I'm ready. Whenever you are."

     It was her first time, but it didn't seem all that challenging. If the limit was the things that one could find in the room, she could simply say what she saw.

     "And… begin!"

     Sun Hwa started swiftly. Her eyes met Seo Kwang's, who was sitting across from her.

     "Seo Kwang, Juho, Bom, Baron, Sun Hwa."

     "We're words too?"

     "Proper nouns. Stop disrupting me. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears, forehead, hair, shoulders, chest, torso, arms, legs."

     Sun Hwa answered Seo Kwang quickly and named the things that she could find in the room one by one.

     "Door, windows, desks, chairs, counter, mannequin, wall, poster, globe, earthquake model, storage, earth, dinosaur bones, um... Then, lab coats, beakers, cellophane, alcohol lamp, cobaltic chloride, filter paper, spuit, plastic syringe, rubber gloves, mask, goggles, microscope, um… What was that called… That weird liquid."

     "What's a weird liquid?"

     "What was it called?"

     Sun Hwa began to stutter. She pointed at a brown glass container with a liquid in it. It was probably for an experiment, but the first years mostly learned about theories, so there was no way they could know. Having decent grades, Sun Hwa must have seen it somewhere, but it seemed like her memory was failing. She could just move on, but she wouldn't give up.

     Juho added, "You can just say liquid. It's a word."

     "Really? Wait! You're right! Liquid, and..."

     She looked around frantically. She had already named most of the things in the room. The hands of the members that were writing her words had also come to stopped. Sun Hwa was getting flustered. She had thought two minutes wouldn't be enough. She could've never known that it would've been too much time. She felt like she had already said everything she could, but she could no longer see the words that filled the room. 'What else was there?' Sun Hwa looked around again. There wasn't going to be anything new. 'Is this it? Barely?' It seemed like a lot. Time was up, and Mr. Moon shouted stop.

      The End

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     11 Chapter 11 - Inside of a Pouch 2

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "OK, time. That was good for a first try. You observed well."

     "Yes, sir."

     Sun Hwa sighed loudly and collapsed onto her seat. It felt much more exhausting than climbing up and down the stairs. She borrowed Bom's list of words to see what she could've missed, 'What did I miss?'

     "You're good at seeing things from a bird's eye-view," Juho said.

     Sun Hwa looked at him.

     "What do you mean?"

     "You see the forest itself rather than the trees."

     'Forest?' Sun Hwa checked at the list again. She reflected on the moment she had struggled: that weird liquid, just liquid. She had desperately tried to remember the name of it because she couldn't find any more words. Her mind focused on the details because there was no more information that could be identified from simply looking at the external. She looked around the room again. Just with the lab coat alone there were words like pockets, sleeves and white. Then, she started to see the things that weren't visible moments ago.

     "Was I ever bad with details?"

     By the time Sun Hwa realized it, the rest of the club members did as well.

     "Details are important. Is that the secret? Wouldn't that give a bigger advantage to the person that went after?"

     "Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you, no repeating words."

     "What…? Isn't there an advantage for the person who goes first?"

     Just as Seo Kwang was contemplating when he should have his turn, Mr. Moon's words made him think even more. While he was busy thinking, Sun Hwa told Bom, "Get this over with, Bom."

     "Should I? Mr. Moon, I'll go next."

     "Sure."

     As if giving up, Seo Kwang quietly raised his fist in front of Juho's eyes. It was an unspoken offer to settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Juho nodded.

     "Winner goes last."

     "Whatever."

     "Rock, paper, scissor!" Seo Kwang played rock, and Juho played paper. Juho won. He was going last. Seo Kwang smiled and made Juho a boastful promise to Juho, "I'll make sure that there's nothing left for you."

     'Yeah, yeah. Do your worst,' thought Juho.

     The timer started, and Bom seemed slightly nervous. She opened her mouth in a hurry.

     "Um, paper, rope, tree, pencil case, cloth, pen, mechanical pencil, lid, handle, rubber, pen tip, spring, ink… and uh, hair tie, scribble, letters, and… and…"

     She focused on things that she could find on the desk first: paper and rope from her notebook and tree was from the desk. Bom hastily looked around. She was definitely more detailed than Sun Hwa, but she was tensing up. It made sense considering that there was a time limit. Moreover, the words Sun Hwa had said kept interrupting her thoughts. The same, repeating words danced around in Bom's mouth.

     "That… um… uniform, name tag, slipper, stocking, pants, shirts, vast, activewear, buttons, sleeves, pockets, collar, lining, thread, knot, wrinkle, um, um, and…"

     She stumbled through to find more words. There were quite a few words coming out of her mouth. There were long gaps in between, but the result wasn't bad at all. Mr. Moon shouted stop, and Bom returned to her seat while calming her breath. There were still remnants of excitement on her face.

     "That was good, Bom."

     "Oh, it's nothing. I'm kind of embarrassed that I stuttered so much. I didn't even get to look around the room like Sun Hwa did. I must be narrow-visioned."

     She waved her hand in denial at Sun Hwa's compliments. 'Bom's approach was definitely more effective than Sun Hwa's,' Seo Kwang thought. 'Seeing how she was pulling out multiple words out of uniform, perhaps we really are overly depend on what we see.'

     "My turn."

     Without saying a word, Mr. Moon started the timer. Seo Kwang spoke calmly and was not in a hurry. He realized that two minutes was not a short time after watching Sun Hwa and Bom. 'There's plenty of time. No rush'

     "Let's see, so, men and women, and...things, object, glass, plastic, letters, sentences, self-introduction, books, bookshelves, title, author, publisher, translator, publish, publish date, edition, issue, cover, paper band, numbers, um, and…"

     Seo Kwang thought for a brief moment and continued. Those were words that hadn't been mentioned yet.

     "Light, sunlight, dust, microscopic dust, air, breath, respiration, heat, voice, sound, high pitch, low pitch, student, teacher, time, teenager, friend, friendship, courage, hopes and dreams, peace, youth, and…"

     Seo Kwang walked over and opened the window. A cool breeze flowed into the room.

     "Refreshing wind."

     "Wow, such youth," Juho said absent-mindedly. Seo Kwang was blurting out words like friendship, courage and hopes and dreams. It was the fearlessness of youth. Being a fervent reader, he did have a developed sense of language.

     "Wow! That made my heart almost move. That acting."

     "I know! That was good."

     Sun Hwa exaggerated first, although Bom seemed genuinely impressed. Enjoying the responses of the crowd, Seo Kwang made a proud face. At that, Sun Hwa commented, "Yes, you need attention at that age."

     "Don't be jealous of my senses."

     "I've never been so wronged in my life."

     By the time their quarreling died down, Bom spoke quietly, "That was amazing, Seo Kwang."

     "You're too kind."

     Here was another friend who lacked humility. His arrogance was through the roof. Bom was deeply impressed. Words exist even in unseen places, and Seo Kwang pulled out a fact that Juho had been forgetting. It felt like his vision had widened, so Bom complimented Seo Kwang.

     "I didn't even think about that. That was incredible."

     "Oh, it was nothing. I am pretty amazing."

     "Yeah, you're amazingly shameless," Juho agreed that Seo Kwang was amazing, though in a different way from Bom.

     Her anxiety could have been contagious, but he even walked over to the window to open it. 'Did one grow more shameless the more he read?' No, that was just his personality. He was born with it.

     "OK. Lastly, Juho's turn," Mr. Moon said.

     Seo Kwang went back to his seat.

     "It must be hard having to be your turn right after me. Don't feel too burdened, my friend."

     "It's exhausting to go after a friend who lacks humility," Juho replied with a smile at Seo Kwang's arrogance.

     On the other hand, Sun Hwa, who was not fond of Seo Kwang's arrogance, added while glaring at him fiercely, "Juho, make sure you start off with the word 'ass.'"

     "Hm, I was thinking about what other words were left. I'll keep that in mind."

     "Where did you find that word?"

     "Right here, on your stupid face."

     "I see that your words are getting edgier."

     "There-there, settle down."

     Leaving Bom behind, trying timidly to break up their quarrel, Juho got up from his seat slowly. 'Keep them in your mouths and clasp them in your hand.' The limit was the room, wherever the eye could see. That was probably a trap planted by Mr. Moon. Words were everywhere. Inside, outside, and in between. Seo Kwang did a great job digging in. In search for words, he bravely jumped into the unseen. Mr. Moon's satisfied smile was the evidence of that.

     Sun Hwa had revealed her bold personality, and Bom caught even the most minute of details. It almost revealed how they viewed the world. 'What about myself? It's hard to get a feel for something I've never done before. I hope I don't embarrass myself by not being able to say much. No, I'm sure I'll do just as well since I've been observing everyone else,' thought Juho.

     Seeing him standing still, Mr. Moon asked, "Are you ready?"

     Like everyone else, Juho looked around the room. One by one, familiar sights found their way into Juho's view: Sun Hwa and Bom sitting across from him, Seo Kwang sitting next to him, Mr. Moon sitting while facing the students, and Baron facing Mr. Moon, dying of boredom. Seeing everyone sitting around the rectangular desk, Juho fixed his sight on one spot. His eyes met with Baron's. Without trying to avoid Juho's gaze, Baron stood up from his seat.

     Remaining composed even after making an eye contact with an upperclassman, Juho answered with his droopy tone, "I'm ready."

     "Ready, begin."

     Baron wondered if Juho was going to ask him if he was black. He did make eye contact with the others as they were busy finding words. From the first years' avoidance of eye contact with him, Baron realized that he wasn't the one who was being avoided, but the words that were surrounding him. 'Is he going to say them? Those sensitive words?' thought Baron.

     Juho began.

     "People, human, humanity, mankind, character, dignity, human being, personality, appearance, life, lifespan, human nature, existence, living being, heart, me, self, ego, id, identity, superego, experience, recognition, past, present, future, talent, prosperity, fall, good news, sad news, exciting news, struggle, joy, tears, smile, resentment, annoyance, attachment, love, favor, endearing, affection, happiness, pain, terror, difficulty, anger, fury, hope, fear, sympathy, heart-struck, chaos, unfamiliarity, inner-person, disgrace, hate, passion, respect, despise, demand, desire, longing, pleasure, displeasure, reminiscence, senses, emotions, sentiment, sensitivity, appreciate, warmth, emotional health, mood, feeling, thoughts, questions, doubt, concern, stage in life, age, opposite-gender, memories, brain, response, expressions, expectation, reliance, determination, striving, economy, main agent, supervision, true nature, subject, center, core, ethics, sexuality, genes, worth, value, mind, body, regulations, beauty, knowledge, intelligence, wisdom, philosophy, act, personality, timidity, bold, indifferent, friendly, mysterious, conservative, progressive, rigidity, coquetry, conflict, hypocrisy, rules, wariness, boundary, distance, language, living, society, relations, location, place, characteristics, individual, choice, decision, interest, thinking, conscience, emotional state, intention, tendencies, wants, wishes, volition, sole."

     "Time's up."

     There was silence in the room after Mr.Moon's exclamation. A wind blew into the room though the open window, and hairs blew with it.

     "Wow."

     The air began to flow again at Sun hwa's subconscious marveling. "That was amazing!" "Incredible!" In midst of it all, Baron wasn't able to say a word. He swallowed, breaking out in a cold sweat. Only Baron felt the the look in Juho's eyes as he was tirelessly spewing out words.

     There was barrenness. It was a dryness without a single drop of moisture. It was desolate and arid. Juho's eyes were digging away at Baron's heart. They stirred at him relentlessly. There was no mercy. Baron felt a burning sensation on his skin from Juho's gaze. Where the air met the skin, his veins and nerves were exposed, vulnerable to incoming danger. He was on edge. Baron gently rubbed his tense, rigid cheek. There were so many things that could be found in that body.

      The End

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     12 Chapter 12 - From the Inside

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "He didn't stutter one bit."

     "I lost track."

     In shock, Seo Kwang and Bom murmured to each other. Sun Hwa, in awe until a moment ago, frowned in the meantime and replied, "Are you telling me a human can be swarming with that many words? There's something gross about that. You, you're weird too. Don't you think of those things when you look at other people?"

     "Not really. I was just focusing on the words."

     Sun Hwa was getting annoyed by Juho's cheerful denial. His skill was incomparable to somebody who ended her turn with 'eyes, nose and mouth.' There was such a drastic difference even though they were given the same subject. Juho didn't stop even for a brief moment. There was not one bit of hesitation. From the alien words like id and superego, Sun Hwa was able to feel the vast difference in their vocabularies.

     "You have good grades, right?"

     "No, not at all."

     Recognizing Sun Hwa's expression growing darker every time he answered, Juho went back to his seat, avoiding eye contact with her.

     "Who are you?"

     "What do you mean?"

     Dumbfounded, Seo Kwang looked at Juho.

     "How were you able to say that many words?"

     "It's nothing. They're things you hear everyday."

     "You haven't even been alive for that long," Seo Kwang said boisterously. Then suddenly, he quietly whispered to Juho, "It was nerve wracking."

     "What?"

     "You were looking at Baron the whole time. I thought you were going to say the word."

     "The word?"

     Seo Kwang grew impatient and said in an even quieter voice, "Like, black."

     "Oh! There just wasn't enough time."

     "Time?"

     "Yeah. I worked my way out from the inside. It took me a while to come up to the surface. Baron has a lot on his mind."

     Seo Kwang was surprised. Black was such an obvious choice. Without intending on belittle Baron, of course. It was not a bad word in and of itself. However, words tend to be sensitive and delicate. It didn't take much for them to turn into something completely different. That was why they needed to be treated with caution.

     The second anybody brought up the word, everything froze. The air became uncomfortable. Seo Kwang had never met a black person in his life. Though Baron was technically born from a Korean father and a black mother, he was always identified as black because of his skin color. The school never taught him how to respond to situations like that. They never taught what was polite and what was not. Baron wasn't confident about handling words that he'd never seen or learned before. At Baron's jarring appearance and identity, Seo Kwang did everything within his power to avoid contact with him.

     Seo Kwang tried to think of words that described Baron. This time, from the inside out. 'Skin.' It was the first word looking from outside-in, but from an outward perspective, it was the last word to come up. Inner-being, and appearance, Seo Kwang compared the two. When he was getting to know someone, the inner-being of that person was the most important thing and what gave the person significance. He took his favorite book and placed it onto the shelf.

     He felt empty. He felt stupid for living in anxiety that entire time. He looked at his notebook. The page was filled with Juho's words. Next to it, Seo Kwang wrote other words. 'Black.' 'Dark.' They felt so insignificant next to Juho's vocabulary. Though Seo Kwang had more to say, he had to stop himself as Mr. Moon began speaking.

     "Good job! I assume that this was everyone's first attempt, but I could see that you're all learning. As you saw from Juho, there are always plenty of words you can think of even when you're not supposed to repeat words. Even in this tiny room."

     Juho did an excellent job. It had been noticeable from his self-introduction. There was something about him. His vocabulary was impressive, but it wasn't the only thing Mr. Moon had been shocked by.

     The room is full of useless things. Considering that it was being used as the school storage room, there were countless random things. Of course, as Seo Kwang had said earlier, there were plenty of unseen words. With Juho's vocabulary, it wouldn't have been too difficult to capture even more words. Among the many candidates, Juho had fixed his eyes on Baron. Also, he ignored the most obvious difference. Mr. Moon glanced over to Juho as he was sat quietly. If he was shrinking the gap between Baron and the rest of the club members with a conscious effort, he would be beyond ordinary.

     On the other hand, Baron was surrounded by strange emotions. All Juho did was list words, but his feelings were swaying left and right as if he had been comforted. Because he had already decided to take no interest in the business of the first years, Baron had always thought that he wouldn't be taking the initiative to talk to them. He looked at Juho's calm face. 'Who is this guy?' Baron was tingling with a new curiosity.

     "Ah!" Seo Kwang made a curious sound.

     Sun Hwa glanced over at him, but Seo Kwang's eyes were on Juho.

     "What? Did something get on my face?"

     Juho was no different from the usual, but Seo Kwang was convinced of something. 'This guy schemed something similar in the past. This was calculated. It was intentional.'

     "You nut job!"

     "What's this about all of a sudden?"

     Juho felt like he was being falsely accused by his friend, but Seo Kwang didn't mind. He kept at it, "Nut job!"

     ---

     "I've never been to the school library."

     "Me neither."

     "I've been here before."

     With the exception of Seo Kwang, it was everyone's first visit to the school library. They weren't there because they wanted to be. They were at the library because of the mission given by Mr. Moon.

     "Each of you will check out one book from the library. There's no criteria, except you must pick a book among the ones you've read."

     The interior of the library was visible through the glass entrance. The first thing that could be seen were the books that were on the shelves. Seo Kwang hummed excitedly. The library was about the size of a classroom. It was not a big library, by any means. Still, the library was brimming with books.

     As the members walked into the library, they encountered a group of students from the Book Club, reading on their desks. Seeing how they weren't startled by their presence, the Book Club must've already known about the visit.

     "You're all from the Literature Club right? Grab what you're looking for and leave quietly."

     "You got it."

     The Chinese teacher warned them sternly as the Literature Club came into the library. He was not only known as the homeroom teacher for the Book Club, but also for his strictness. With Juho being the only calm individual, the nervous first years quietly walked away from the Chinese teacher as fast as they could. As they blindly followed the tall bookshelves, the members reached the new-release section. Next to it, was a small plastic container. It appeared that students could write out request for their desired books. Inside of a clear plastic container, were only five sheets of paper. They matched the number of Book Club members who happened to be reading in the library.

     "They have 'The Trace of a Bird.' They're quick."

     "It must have been in high demand."

     The book was shelved at the frontmost row.

     Sun Hwa asked Seo Kwang as he pulled it out, "Did you pick one already?"

     "As a candidate. Why do you ask? I have another book if you need one."

     "I told you, I haven't read it yet."

     "You still haven't read it? I'm telling you, you won't regret it."

     "Meh, whatever. I'll never conform to the trend."

     As the voice of the two grew louder, Juho said to them, "The Chinese teacher is looking in our direction."

     Their voices shrunk quickly. Juho left Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa behind and moved on to the next isle. It was labeled 'Literature.' Getting a closer look, Juho discovered that the isle was divided into Japanese, Korean and English. His steps came to a halt in front of the Korean section.

     'Author: Hyun Do Lim. Title: The Mirror.'

     'I didn't know I'd find Hyun Do Lim's work here,' Juho thought. He immediately pulled out the book from the shelf. Hyun Do Lim was one of the authors Juho admired. He was an author who had never ceased to write, even until his death. His last, full-length novel left a deep impression in Juho's heart. It was a book that Juho had purchased with the little money he had left when Juho was living a homeless life. Once he had gotten his hands on the book, Juho read it over and over again.

     In other words, that book was an answer sheet to all of the questions in life.

     'Yes, this sounds better. This is a better portrayal.' Every single words had been carefully placed with precise calculation by the author. The writing was tenacious, perhaps closer to obsessive. At times, it had made Juho think if it was even possible for him to write in such a way.

     Juho pulled out the book and opened it to the first page. Along with his young hand gently brushing down the photo, he saw a face that looked much younger than he remembered.

     "He's such a good looking man."

     Hyun Do Lim looked much younger than his age. On top of that, he was handsome even to the eyes of other men. His name would always come up when discussing good-looking authors. When all the authors his age had retired and were no longer writing, Hyun Do Lim never put down his pen.

     "Did you pick one?"

     "Not yet."

     Seo Kwang asked Juho, peeking his head through an opening between the shelves. As Juho was about to place the book back, he came to a sudden halt. 'Actually, this might be the one. I enjoyed 'The Mirror' quite a bit,' thought Juho.

     "I'm going with this one."

     Juho heard Seo Kwang approach him from the English Literature section. In his hand, there was a book by a world-renowned author, Kelly Coin, called 'Witch Hunt.' It was her debut work before she became famous. 'I didn't think I'd find books like that in the library. I should have come here more often,' thought Juho. Then he added, "That's much better than 'The Trace of a Bird.'"

     "I disagree. I think it's impossible to compare the two. Except..."

     Then, Seo Kwang suddenly hardened his expression.

     "What is it?"

     "Did you really think that I'd be so quick to pick a book by an author my age? Even as a fellow writer?"

     Then, he put 'The Trace of a Bird' back into the shelf. A book made it back to the shelf through a person's hand, and Juho watched. He had never witnessed such a scene. No person had ever picked up Juho's book at a bookstore and put them back down. Actually, there must have been other people. It must have been that he just never witnessed it in person.

     Juho smirked. He didn't think that there had been any remnant of such feeling in his heart. Ever so slightly, Juho felt upset, perhaps even a little hurt.

     Having chosen a book in no time, Sun Hwa told Seo Kwang while sneering at him, "The author isn't even aware of your existence, you know."

     "He doesn't have to be. I don't know who he is either," he quickly fired back at her.

     Of course, she wasn't the type to give up. Right as she was about to speak, Bom approached her from behind, "Sun Hwa, what do think it'd be a better choice between these two books?"

     "Huh?"

     Bom questioned Sun Hwa while holding a book in each hand. Both books were included in a literature compilation book from the same publishing company.

     "I've only read the book on the left."

     "Did you?"

     As soon as she got an answer from Sun Hwa, Bom walked over to the other side of the bookshelf. Then, she returned momentarily with another book. It was the book Sun Hwa had mentioned.

     "Should we head out?"

     "We'll be checking these out."

     With his usual stern expression, the Chinese teacher quietly checked out the books for the first years. As he returned each of the books to them, he emphasized, "Treat them with care. You're not the only ones reading them."

     "Yes, sir!" the first years answered him bravely and returned to the science room.

     "The Chinese teacher didn't seem all that scary after all," said Bom.

     "I've never met anyone who treats their books with respect when he's a jerk," Seo Kwang answered her joyfully.

     At that moment, it was almost impossible to tell whether he was the same fearful person who had avoided joining the Book Club because of the teacher in charge. Sun Hwa and Juho both agreed.

     Juho looked at the book he had in his hand. It was very well taken care of.

     The stern Chinese teacher didn't feel as intimidating as he used to feel.

      The End

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     13 Chapter 13 - A Clue Regarding an Identity

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     When the first years returned from the library, there was a small change in the science room. Next to Mr. Moon, was a mound of crumpled up graph-like paper that came up to his calves.

     "We're the Literature Club for god's sake. We should at least be writing on Korean manuscript paper."

     Mr. Moon distributed the sheets of paper to each member. Juho saw the red squared on the paper in front of him and thought, 'It's been a while.'

     "You all know the writing format for this paper, right?"

     "Just barely."

     "That's true. It's really tricky to understand, especially when writing a citation page."

     The kids were staring at their sheets of paper as if they had never seen them before. Mr. Moon encouraged them and began to explain things, "What do you think the reason is for leaving the first square blank when starting a paragraph?"

     He stopped for a brief moment and went on to answer his own question, "So, it looks neat."

     The kids appeared unsatisfied with Mr. Moon's answer.

     "A piece of writing exists to be read. Moving down a line when starting a new paragraph or dialogue is for this very purpose. It enables the readers to read more comfortably. If everything was stuck together back to back, it'd be impossible to read. So, you switch over to the next line and skip a square. Then, what do you think you should do when the dialogic sentence starts to get longer?"

     Sun Hwa thought briefly, and answered carefully, "Go to the next line?"

     "Why?"

     "So it looks better."

     "That's correct."

     She was truly like an exemplary student. Even while Mr. Moon was explaining punctuation, arabic numerals and spacing in the English alphabet, he emphasized repeatedly that writing existed to be read. Manuscript paper, according to him, was like a well-decorated cake.

     As the students slowly began to come to grasp how to write using the manuscript paper, Mr. Moon explained the mission he had previously given. He revealed why he had sent everyone all the way to the library in the middle of club activities.

     "Do you guys know what a transcription is?"

     "We've heard of it, but it's definitely not something you hear everyday," Bom answered. The others must have felt no different.

     "How about copying?"

     "We've heard of that, mainly when I got in trouble with my teacher," Seo Kwang said playfully, as if he was reminiscing to a time when he had been caught.

     "They mean the same thing. From now on, you guys are going to be transcribing the book that you checked out from the library."

     "We're copying them?"

     The word 'copy' had an unpleasant connotation. As Seo Kwang had said earlier, the word was often associated with warning statements. A student could get into a world of trouble with the teacher for copying his friend's homework.

     Mr. Moon took a deep breath and started speaking, "The copying we're about to do is for practice. It's a commendable deed. You guys might not be aware, but you'll find this often when a famous author is being interviewed: 'I've transcribed the work of an author I respect the most.'"

     It wasn't clear who he was imitating, but Juho understood what Mr. Moon was saying. For the would-be novelists, transcription was something they tried at least once. It was a natural occurrence. For anybody who aspired to be a novelist, even without being told, if he or she was human, there would be at least one or two authors he or she admired. When memorizing the names of every single book written by an author and reading their work repeatedly no longer satisfied one's heart, one began to copy the author's writing.

     'I want to be able to write like this person. I'm jealous of everything this author has. I'm mesmerized by his writing.' It was a heart like that that motivated them to move their hands, so that they could turn their idol's talents into their very own.

     "One thing to be mindful of when you're copying is to not do it in a hurry. You have to follow the intention of the author as-is. In order to do that, you copy every character down to every single punctuation."

     "Yes, Mr. Moon."

     'That's right.' Something any would-be novelist tried at least once. For that reason, Juho didn't have experience with transcription. His first full-length novel had been his debut work, which meant that he couldn't be considered to be an aspiring novelist.

     Juho opened his book, 'The Winter,' written by Hyun Do Lim, and started with a narration of the protagonist reminiscing about his past. He was an old man, well past his sixties and was an unwavering and stubborn person. He had declared to his family that he would not be joining them on a family trip that had been long-due. After all, his wife and child had left him behind.

     Left alone, the old man spent time going through various emotions and eventually came to recognize the three brothers living next door. They always played near the old man's house. He spent time listening to their conversations. Soon, the eldest among the three got bullied by the other two, and the old man believed that the two were doing the right thing. He found himself in a good mood. Then, the old man received a call and discovers that his family had been tragically killed. Finally, the old man looked into the mirror and ended his story.

     Juho looked around. Mr. Moon was gone and Seo Kwang was distracted, reading instead of writing. Sun Hwa and Bom were working hard on transcribing their books. So, Juho slowly copied the content of his book. It was the scene when the old man declared his solitude after sending his family away.

     Although their deaths were yet to be known by the old man, he lethargically reminisced about his life. That perilous tone itself was foreshadow. It was quiet and lonely and it was consistent from the beginning and to the end of the novel.

     As he copied the novel, Juho felt down for no apparent reason. He was experiencing the extreme emotions that existed in midst of silence. It was different from merely reading. It was blatant and uncomfortable.

     He put down his pen for a brief moment. After taking a short break, he asked Baron, who was in the middle of drawing, a question, "What are you drawing Baron?"

     "A book illustration."

     He gave Juho a short answer, and Juho looked closer and saw the printed images. There was a character with a playful expression holding a rice paddle in one hand. He appeared to be Nol-bu. Aside from the character, there were also the drawings of a freckled girl in a dress and a kid with a runny nose.

     It was artwork to be inserted in between the pages of a novel.

     Though the genre was different, Baron seemed to be participating in a form of copying.

     In his case, he wanted to be able to draw better. Overhearing the conversation, Seo Kwang poked his head in, looked at the drawings and asked, "When did you start drawing?"

     "When I was young. I went to an art institute instead of kindergarten."

     "So, it's been a while."

     Baron shrugged without saying much. He seemed to be putting even more distance between himself and the other club members. Juho recognized that and no longer tried to talk to him. Although Seo Kwang was someone who knew when to push and when to pull away, he too no longer tried to interact with Baron. Sun Hwa was glaring fiercely at the guys as they talked. Soon, there was only the sound of friction between pen and paper.

     As soon as the members finished transcribing about seven pages, the bell rang and indicated the end of club activities.

     The next day, Bom made a move to convince Baron to give her a sample of his writing. Unlike Sun Hwa previously, Bom had been discrete.

     "So, it's a bribe?"

     "Not exactly."

     "Wouldn't it have been better if you handed it to him in person? It won't do anything if the receiver doesn't know the giver."

     "I felt weird about handing it to him in person."

     Bom couldn't gather her words between Sun Hwa and Seo Kwang's discussion. Apparently, she had come to school early and gone into the empty second year classroom to leave a bag on Baron's desk. The bag was filled with other bags of chips and cookies.

     'When did she find the time to watch Baron eat?' Juho thought to himself, impressed by her.

     "Does this mean you can demand a written note from Baron as he munches on your chips and cookies? 'I'll take your writing as payment.'?"

     "What?" Bom was startled by Juho's words.

     "What's the matter? Didn't you give Baron all those snacks to get him to write something for you?"

     "It's true, but I don't feel confident about speaking to him directly."

     "Do as Sun Hwa did, as if you were blind."

     "Who's blind?"

     "That's even worse."

     As Sun Hwa appeared, Bom expressed a strong denial to Juho. At the end, Bom wasn't able to ask for anything, so she had left Baron a gift without even revealing her name. Despite Seo Kwang's frustration over her generosity, that was the extent of her effort.

     As if left with no choice, Seo Kwang shook his head and said, "Very well. I'll tell Baron while I'm on it!"

     "Huh?"

     He must've had a plan.

     "What is it? What are you planning on doing?" Sun Hwa asked.

     "Hold on to your hats."

     After seeing his confident display, Juho had already lost interest. Ignoring the insincere response of the crowd, Seo Kwang kept on, "If you want something from a person, then you should prepare something he wants."

     "Duh! That's obvious."

     That was why Bom had given all those snacks to Baron, like Robin Hood.

     "Then, there's one question left. What does Baron want?"

     "Snacks?" Bom answered timidly, and Seo Kwang gestured at her answer.

     "Snacks are good, but I have something more delicious in my hand."

     "What is it, chocolate?" Sun Hwa answered in a lukewarm manner.

     Realizing that Seo Kwang wasn't going to stop anytime soon, Juho took out a book from his bag. It was 'The Winter,' the book he had checked out of the library for transcription, and he thought to himself that he'd read it again from cover to cover as he transcribed it.

     "I found a clue for the author who wrote 'The Trace of a Bird.'"

     Juho's hand stopped in its place.

     "Are you serious?"

     "Where did you find it? Tell us!"

     'He can't possibly be talking about me,' thought Juho as he slowly put down his book. In contrast to his calm appearance, his mind was working frantically.

     Yun Woo. Identity. Clue. There hadn't been any updates from the editor either.

     "Whoa! Control yourselves."

     "Did Baron read the book too?"

     "I saw it with my own eyes."

     Juho had seen it too. The book Baron had read on his first day of club activities had been 'The Trace of a Bird.' He still remembered the expression on Seo Kwang's face when he saw the book in Baron's hand. He looked like he was about to wrap his arm around Baron.

     "How do you know that he's a fan of the author though? It's weird to make an assumption like that just because he was reading the book."

     'That's true,' Juho agreed silently. There was no proof that Baron was obsessed with the author simply because he had read the book.

     As if he was mocking Juho and Sun Hwa, Seo Kwang clicked his tongue and said, "Since he's read the book, it'd be impossible for Baron not to be curious about the author."

     "You know, not everyone's like you just because they're a fan."

     "Who said anything about a fan? I'm simply saying that he'd be curious. Imagine you found $10,000 on the street. Wouldn't you think about who it belonged to? It would too big of an amount, so you wouldn't be able to celebrate either. You'd stay up all night deciding whether you should take it to the police or not. 'The Trace of a Bird' is just like that."

     "What the heck are you talking about? How can book and money be the same?"

     "You know, I can't help but notice that you've been commenting on my analogies."

     Seeing how the two were starting to digress, Bom chimed in. She was curious about the clue Seo Kwang had found on the mysterious author, "Seo Kwang, did you find out who the author of 'The Trace of a Bird' is?"

     "Yes, that's the main focus."

     Seo Kwang cleared his throat and lowered his voice. The room felt hushed, and he pulled out a piece of paper from his chest.

     "So, I ran into something really interesting on a blog."

     "Show us."

     Standing behind Sun Hwa holding Seo Kwang's piece of paper in her hand, Juho read the note faster than anyone else there. The first thing that caught his eyes was the title. 'Revealing the Identity of Yun Woo, the Author of 'The Trace of a Bird.'"

     The intent was quite provocative.

      The End

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     14 Chapter 14 - A Beautiful, Book-Loving Girl

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "The protagonist, Yun, was named and created after the author himself."

     'That's not true," Juho thought.

     "Between the mysterious, anonymous author and the protagonist who moves about at night, there's a resemblance in the impression that the two give off."

     'Good, I think I can relax.'

     Juho was able to stay at ease up to that point. That blog post had started from the hypothesis that 'The Trace of a Bird' had been written based on the life experiences of the author. The blog emphasized that the protagonist of the book and the author himself were of the same age.

     However, what Juho had written was a novel. It was imagination that came out of his head. It was a made-up story. It was a lie that had been finely dressed in the spirit of prose. It was not entirely inaccurate to say that the author's experiences had had some influence in his writing, but the book wasn't about his story itself.

     "So, who wrote this?"

     "He goes by HongSam on the internet."

     Unfortunately, HongSam couldn't be more wrong. Yet, the kids seemed to think otherwise.

     "This sounds plausible, doesn't it?"

     "I get the impression that it might well be," Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa said to each other.

     "What is it saying? I can't really see."

     At Bom's curiosity, Sun Hwa gave her a brief summary of the blog post.

     HongSam's claim was as such, "The author has a detailed, yet brilliant style of writing. Despite his young age, he possesses a distinct personality. The author gradually builds up the story into a climax. His deceivingly mature writing has shocked and touched the hearts of many. The true surprise of this book lies in the sentiment that's being communicated to the readers. For an author to be able to capture such profound emotions in his writing, one can only assume that he must have lived through experiences that inspired him. Therefore, just like Yun, the protagonist of 'The Trace of a Bird,' there's a chance that the author may not be attending high school. Even if this conjecture is not entirely true, I carefully entertain the possibility that the author detached from the outside world at some point in his past."

     Having read up to that point, Sun Hwa took a moment to catch her breath before moving on to the next page. At the end of the post, there was a final conclusion for the modern-day-people who simply couldn't afford the time to read such a post.

     "In other words, considering all the hypotheses thus far, the image of the author, Yun Woo can be portrayed as a beautiful girl enjoying a book on a warm, sunny day."

     "What?" everyone doubted what they had just read.

     'What? A warm, sunny day? A beautiful, book-loving girl?'

     Sun Hwa didn't appear to be impressed either. On the other hand, Seo Kwang had a happy smile on his face.

     "Sigh, what is this?" she said.

     "What? it's nice. A beautiful, innocent, book-loving girl," Seo Kwang countered.

     "This is delusional. Come on! 'A beautiful girl enjoying a book on a warm, sunny day?' We got excited for nothing."

     "Yeah, this is straight up delusional," even Bom was taking a firm stance in the matter.

     Juho nodded his head to blend in with the others, "Yep. Delusional."

     He was dumbfounded by what he had just read, 'A beautiful, book-loving girl? Am I, Yun Woo, actually associated with these words? My common, high-school-student self would be seriously disappointed.'

     "I think Yun Woo is male," Sun Hwa said confidently.

     Juho rooted for her silently, 'That's right, Yun Woo is a he.'

     "Why do you think that?"

     "That's what I'm hoping for, a good-looking guy who's also my age."

     Juho quickly retracted the cheers directed at Sun Hwa.

     "I wish him to be a muscular, high school boy."

     In an instant, Juho had discovered the ideal tastes of two individuals. To be associated with a book-loving girl or a muscular, high school boy was quite a burden for him.

     "Muscular. You don't say."

     "Then, what about 'book-loving girl?' Right Bom?"

     "Yeah, right!"

     "What's wrong with 'book-loving girl?' Juho, say something."

     Juho shook his head firmly. Seeing the loathing expression on Juho's face, Seo Kwang realized that no one was around to take his side. For the time being, he took a step back.

     "Of course, this is HongSam's personal opinion, so I admit that there could be some bias in his words. Still, his observations up to that point sound plausible, don't they?"

     "It's already over if it ends with 'a beautiful, book-loving girl.'"

     "Come on, guys! The responses in the comments section aren't all that bad."

     By then, Seo Kwang had already lost his friends' trust, so he quickly moved on to the main point, "This isn't the point. It's bait. If Baron falls for this, then that's all that matters."

     "You really think he would fall for something like that?"

     "Just watch. I'll be the first to get him to write."

     Seo Kwang sprung out of his seat.

     It wasn't long until Seo Kwang returned with a sad face. 'A book-loving girl' must have been of little help.

     "Back already?" Juho asked.

     Seo Kwang answered sadly, "Do you know what renders bait useless?

     "What?"

     "When it loses its freshness. Baron had already known about the blog post. He looked at me like I was the most pathetic person. I couldn't have known in my dreams that he'd already known." Seo Kwang continued with a defeated expression, "If Baron knows about HongSam's blog, then he's definitely a fan. I'm sure of it."

     Seo Kwang explained to his friends that HongSam was a famous blogger among Yun Woo fans. It was hard to understand why he was famous, let alone trustworthy.

     Seo Kwang grabbed his hair in despair. He seemed discouraged that the plan he had been so sure of had ended in failure. Juho thought about consoling his friend, but Sun Hwa's laughter beat him to it. There was no way she would leave him alone, especially when he was so vulnerable.

     "I knew it. Some big-talker you are."

     "I underestimated how big of a fan Baron was," Seo Kwang said as he angrily clenched his fists.

     "You shouldn't beat around the bush when you're trying to win a person's heart, you know. You gotta tackle it head on."

     "You're really into this whole head-on approach. What are you, a boar?"

     "Would you like to find out what it feels like to be rammed by a boar?"

     Seo Kwang was bursting with anger from Sun Hwa's mocking, but Sun Hwa was not someone who would let another person call her names, especially something like 'a boar.' Bom was standing next to her anxiously as Sun Hwa started getting ready to ram into Seo Kwang.

     Even in midst of all of that, Juho's heart was not in peace. Baron being a fan of Yun Woo meant that he was a fan of Juho. Baron, a fan.

     Having a fan was not something foreign to him. If anything, he was closer to being familiar with it. Before he returned to the past, he had even come out in public. Compared to the present, there had been more people around him, including fans. Still, the emotion Juho was experience was something he was not used to.

     A friend-turned-fan. A fan-turned-friend. It was merely in a different order, yet there was a blatant difference. Baron hadn't been a friend from the get-go. It was embarrassing. For some reason, Juho's palm started itching.

     "Then, Juho must be the only person left."

     "Me?"

     "Yeah, you. Everyone else approached Baron in their own way, except for you."

     There was hope in the way everyone looked at him, and Juho scratched his face and responded, "Don't put your hopes up. You'll be disappointed."

     "Who said anything about hoping? So, did you have anything in mind, like a plan?"

     'Then how do you guys explain the curiosity in your eyes?' Juho thought. Then, he continued with a smile on his face, "I do have a plan."

     "What is it?"

     "It's a secret."

     Both Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa jeered at his answer. They got along only in moments like that. Juho ignored their jeering and said, "OK, guys. That's enough."

     Even though he was someone being jeered at, Bom looked even more anxious than him. He stared into the ceiling for a brief moment and stood up from his seat.

     That moment, the bell started ringing. It was the end of recess. 'Damn it.'

     Juho sat back down, and Sun Hwa and Bom returned to their class. Seo Kwang asked as he sat next to Juho, "So, what are you going to do?"

     "I'll tell you when I get back."

     "The teacher's coming!"

     As class started, Juho stared out the window and organized his thoughts.

     Juho climbed the stairs up to the second years' floor. He thought about the writing he needed to get from Baron as he went up the stairs. To figure out a way to move Baron's heart, Juho had been watching Sun Hwa, Bom. and Seo Kwang. Juho had been observing things during recess, lunch, P.E., remote classes, club activities and after school. Those were the times when he could naturally run into Baron.

     Baron was ordinary. Just like all the other students, he took classes, took naps during recess, ate and read or drew during lunch. He was also a loner.

     His life outside of the club didn't look very different. Although, he didn't seem to study the materials that were different from the lessons, unlike how he was during club activities.

     Bait.

     Juho has been looking for a bait that Baron would find irresistible. Then, finally, Juho found what he had been looking for.

     Baron was also keeping his eyes on a person, and that person was his female classmate. Juho labeled her in his mind as 'Baron girl.' Juho knew nothing about 'Baron girl.' He'd never met her before, let alone talk to her. However, one thing was certain, that girl, very much like Baron, didn't talk to anyone around her. In other words, she too was a loner.

     Juho arrived at Baron's class. He looked for Baron, but he didn't seem to be around. Not only that, but there seemed to be a commotion in the classroom. 'What's going on?' thought Juho.

     "Give it to me, now."

     There was a threatening voice. With an angry look on her face, a girl wearing a red hairpin was standing in front of another girl. It was 'Baron girl.' Despite the girl angrily demanding something from her, 'Baron girl' was sitting completely still without saying a word.

     For a brief moment, Juho was able to catch a glimpse of her looking like she was being wronged.

     "You were the only person in the classroom during P.E. You're the person who took my cell phone, aren't you?"

     'Aha!' Juho understood what the commotion was about from that sentence alone. The girl wearing the red hairpin suspected 'Baron girl' of being the thief who stole her cell phone. Everyone in the class was watching the two, but nobody dared to get between them to help resolve the conflict.

     "Don't you just sit there quietly! Give me back my phone, now!"

     The girl wearing the red hairpin was getting worked up. The cell phone must have been quite expensive. When a student lost an item, it didn't end with just a heartache. Not only would she have to withstand scolding and punishment from her parents, but she would also have to live on without her cell phone until her parents bought her a new one. There was no way she could afford a new cell phone on her own. Juho had no trouble living life even without a cell phone of his own, but to another, it could be something more important than her life.

     The girl wearing the red hairpin was fiercely glaring at 'Baron girl.' Seeing how angry she was, her phone must have meant a great deal to her.

     "I just got it yesterday. I'm sure you'd want one being that it's the newest model, but it belongs to me. I won't cause any more ruckus, so please just give it back to me."

     Her tone was rude, yet desperate. Having lost her latest-model-phone, the girl was growing more flustered by the minute. She was already certain that 'Baron girl' was the culprit. After listening quietly up to that moment, 'Baron girl' finally opened her lips, "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't steal it?"

     "If not you, then who? You were the only one here in the classroom during P.E."

     Sure enough, 'Baron girl' wasn't just simply staying silent. Rather, she had already given her final answer. In spite of that, the girl wearing the red hairpin was not letting up. It was a standoff.

     At that moment, Juho realized something that bothered him. This was a school. There was always a thief in a school. That thief struck regularly and stole textbooks, portable gaming consoles and, at times, even slippers. Usually, the range of victims spanned a class. If one's friend sitting next to him got his textbook stolen, there was a good chance that both of their textbook had been stolen.

     In a case like that, the entire class became infuriated. On the other hand, others became anxious about becoming the next target. That was the common progression of such a scenario.

     Juho looked around. Everyone was just watching with fascinated looks, which meant that the girl wearing the red hairpin had been the only victim so far.

     "Still persisting, are you?"

     The girl was furious. Her patience must have worn out. Juho realized that the situation no longer granted him the luxury of watching from afar. She was trembling with fierce anger, looking like she'd slap 'Baron girl' at any moment.

     Juho's lips parted.

     "The teacher's looking for you."

     "What?"

     'Baron girl' looked at Juho with a shocked expression on her face. She wasn't the only one looking at him at that point. Many others had their eyes fixed on him, and Juho repeated, "The teacher's looking for you."

      The End

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     15 Chapter 15 - The Sole Artist in the Literature Club 1

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     To reiterate, this was a school. In a school, there are teachers and students, and then there are thieves. Unfortunately, there was no law enforcement at schools. No such thing existed in such an unique environment like a school. When a handful of students fell victim to a mysterious thief, the class president informed the teacher. Then, the teacher assessed the damage and comforted the victims in the class. Simultaneously, the teacher threatened the potential thief among his students, and then closed the case. Much like corporal punishment, seeking out or catching a thief was prohibited. It was a school after all.

     In other words, without 'Baron girl' in the picture, the case came to a halt. Removing her from the classroom was not a difficult task.

     "Who are you?" the girl wearing a red hairpin asked sharply, but Juho didn't answer. He kept his eyes on 'Baron girl,' and rushed her.

     "Hurry! Mr. Moon is looking for you."

     "Yeah, OK."

     She was dumbfounded by Juho's sudden appearance, but soon, she was drawn to Juho's calm words. As the two were just on their way out of the classroom, Juho felt somebody snatch him. It was the girl with the red hairpin, and she was staring at him with piercing eyes.

     "Hold up!"

     "What is it? Mr. Moon said it was an emergency."

     "You're a first year, aren't you? You came here with your friends not too long ago."

     "That's right. I needed to speak to the same person."

     Her eyes were full of anger, and Juho sighed. It was going to be more complicated than he thought.

     "It's you guys, huh?"

     Damn it.

     "What is?" Juho asked as if he were confused.

     Seeing his reaction, the girl accused Juho even angrier than before, "You guys took my cell phone!"

     "Nope."

     Like she had done with 'Baron girl,' she was looking at Juho with the same, accusatory expression.

     "Then what were the first years doing in our class? Weren't you scouting for anything valuable? No wonder my phone's gone as soon as I got a new one."

     "That's not true."

     "Give me the class number and names of your classmates. All of them. I'm turning in every single one of you to the police!"

     That was an obvious strategy. She brought up the police to intimidate a first year. In this case, Juho, who responded calmly, "Aren't you supposed to turn your cell phones in as soon as you get to school? You've been talking about your cell phone this entire time. Did you get your bag stolen with your phone in it?"

     The girl was getting aggravated. It was a rule for students to place their cell phones into a designated bag in their respective classes before the morning announcements ended. The teachers took those bags and stored them in the staffroom until the end of the school day. It was a rule created to prevent such accidents from the inception of the cell phone.

     Obviously, she wasn't the only one who didn't follow the rule. However, nobody ever caused a scene like that girl.

     "You can't be stealing from other people. That's bad."

     "I agree. Stealing is bad. It's also bad to falsely accuse someone for it."

     Her eyes lit up with anger again. Juho looked at her face-to-face. There were tears in her eyes, and she appeared to be quite anxious.

     "Sigh... You know, there's a limit to making excuses. I'm sure you're anxious after losing something that belonged to you, but I'm offended that I'm being treated like the culprit."

     "What's so wrong about that? My phone disappeared after you guys showed up! I heard that the door was open this morning. It was you guys, huh?"

     Morning. Door. Juho immediately thought of someone. Bom had come to school early to leave snacks for Baron. It couldn't have been her. She didn't have what it took. Juho took a brief moment to think.

     As if seizing her chance, the girl raised her voice, "Hurry up and bring everyone else! Give me back my phone."

     "Sigh."

     Things were back to square one. At that rate, nothing would get through her head. Juho looked around in search of someone who could calm her down. 'Baron girl' was nowhere to be seen, and the other second years were watching from afar. Among them, Juho found someone who looked to be the girl's friend and thought, 'What's this person doing standing there and watching?'

     "So much noise!"

     Juho heard a deep voice from behind. The bluntness in the tone sounded quite familiar. Without even having to turn around, Juho knew immediately who that voice belonged to. It was the reason why Juho was there in the first place. It was Baron.

     "What's this about?"

     His voice resounded throughout the quiet classroom. He looked around once and then fixed his eyes on the girl with the red hairpin. She seemed to be intimidated by Baron's presence looking down at her.

     Juho smiled despite the atmosphere. 'He has guts stepping up to something like this. It makes sense him being the only person drawing in an Literature Club," thought Juho. Baron caught him smiling at a glance and quickly guessed the purpose of his visit.

     "Is it your turn?"

     "Yes. I'm only here to ask you to write something for me, but who would've known there would be such a commotion?"

     Baron turned to to the girl, "You heard him. He's here to see me. Same for the other first years. If you were a first year, would you dare come up to the second year's floor to steal?"

     "That's always possible! They could have taken it while they were here!" the girl snapped back at Baron, determined to stand her ground.

     "Oh, my lord," Baron let out a sigh, having realized that she wasn't going to listen.

     Triggered by his reaction, the girl asked, "Are you one of them?"

     "No."

     "Then, tell your first year to give me back my cell phone."

     "He said he didn't take it. Why do you keep asking?"

     At Baron's response, the girl made a frustrated face as if she were the one supposed to be frustrated.

     Before Baron could speak out in anger, Juho asked, "Did you look under the desk?"

     "What do I look like, an idiot? Of course, I looked!"

     "Did you look in between the textbooks?"

     "I don't keep textbooks under my desk."

     "Then all the more reason to look. Inattention brings about mistakes."

     She scoffed at Juho.

     "You're not thinking about running away from this while I'm looking under the desk, are you?"

     Juho did consider that. If running away could solve the issue, Juho would have done it a hundred times over. Seeing the state she was in though, she'd have followed Juho to the ends of the Earth.

     "No way. It's just a possibility. There's always a possibility."

     The girl frowned and snatched at Juho's wrist and dragged him to her desk. Then she shoved his other hand into the desk. She seemed certain that her phone wasn't going to be in there.

     She waved her hands for everyone else to see. Her hand made a clicking noise under the desk, and Juho watched her.

     Tap.

     Her hand had knocked something out of the desk. It rolled for a little while until it stopped at someone's feet. It was a cell phone. The newest-model cell phone that she had been desperately looking for.

     She stared at the phone that fell on the ground and didn't move a muscle. Then, her face turned bright red. Her face was even redder than at the moment when she was shouting angrily at people.

     She moaned, "Why, is this..."

     Juho picked up the cell phone and handed it to her. She took it without saying a word, and he realized that her hands were ice cold.

     There was confusion among all the other kids who were watching.

     "Is that the phone?"

     "Hey, you should've looked more carefully," somebody said in the midst of the awkwardness.

     It was a girl, the girl who had been watching among the crowd, the same person who looked to be friends with the girl with the red hairpin.

     Another person chimed in and said, "You should apologize and get this over with."

     Two people stood to the sides of the red hairpin girl. She let her head drop and didn't say another word. One of her friends spoke up on her behalf. Both of them waved their hands at the crowd with a smile on their faces.

     "Sorry, sorry. She's a bit hot-headed. She gets blinded to her surroundings when she's angry. She must be really embarrassed right now. I apologize on her behalf."

     "Seriously. We're sorry. I knew this was going to happen, you dumbo."

     The atmosphere lightened up at their light-hearted remarks. There was laughter in the classroom and sounds of chattering. In the midst of the business, the red hairpin girl kept quiet. Even with her friends poking fun at her, her head stayed low.

     "Why's this class so loud?" Mr. Moon said as he peeked his head through the front door.

     It wasn't time for class yet. Juho looked at him wondering why he was there, and Mr. Moon returned the same look.

     "What's a first year doing here? Go downstairs."

     "Yes, sir."

     Juho saw 'Baron girl' standing next to Mr. Moon. At that, he realized that it was she who had brought him. At that moment, Baron eyed Juho to leave with him. On his way out, Juho approached the girl who was still red from embarrassment. Hearing Juho approach her, she raised her chin and looked at him.

     "I saw your two friends putting their hand under the desk," he whispered.

     Her eyes opened up. Her motionless eyes were telling him that she understood what he said. Having confirmed that, Juho quietly went on his way.

     "What did you say to her?"

     "Nothing."

     Juho pondered things as he answered Baron. When he was looking at the girl's friend, Baron appeared. All eyes were on him. At that moment, Juho saw two people acting suspiciously among the crowd. One of them took out a cell phone out of her pocket and slipped it into a desk. When he saw that, Juho felt his palm itching.

     The girl must have been showing off her new cell phone. Bothered by that sight, her two friends plotted to screw her over. However, things were blown out of proportion by their hysterical friend. It was more than they could handle. They couldn't have stepped up to fix the situation in midst of such a ruckus.

     Since the two couldn't step up, they had to hide their tracks. They agreed to hide the phone under the desk without anyone knowing. They weren't just hiding the phone. It was also an effort to hide their guilt.

     The time came for them to speak up on their friend's behalf, and the two made their move.

     Juho looked at the red hairpin girl as he was leaving the classroom. In the middle of her friends trying to encourage her, she remained still with her phone in her hand. Those were people who were trying desperately to shift their blame onto others. The three friends were quite similar in that aspect.

     Coming out of the school building, Juho walked into the shade of a tree in the corner of the yard. The branches were spread out, and that meant more shade.

     Next to the tree were the pull-up bars. Juho looked away from the bright reflection of the bars and told Baron, "Thanks for the help."

     "I didn't help," Baron answered tersely, and said that he was only telling the truth.

     "Telling the truth is the hard part. Other second years weren't just watching for no reason."

     "I'm different from everyone else. Even in color," Baron said as he shook his hand in front of Juho. His large, dark-skinned hand swayed left and right.

     "Of course. It suits the sole artist in a Literature Club."

     The sole artist in a literature club was an appropriate nickname for Baron. Without hesitating, Juho asked about the things that he wanted to know about Baron, "How did you end up joining the Literature Club?"

     "By mistake."

     Juho tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Did you get it mixed up with the Art Club?"

      The End

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     16 Chapter 16 - The Sole Artist in a Literature Club 2

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Not quite. I already knew that it was the Literature Club. I even turned in the application myself."

     "Then, what makes it a mistake?"

     "Why do you keep asking?"

     "Just applying what Mr. Moon taught us," Juho replied light-heartedly. Of course, he had no intention to dig any further if Baron expressed discomfort. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

     Juho saw the dry expression on Baron's face. He didn't seem to be uncomfortable or feeling like he was on the spot.

     Baron let out a short sigh and continued, "More like hassled. Especially by you."

     "What did I do?"

     Seeing how Juho was looking intently at him even before getting to the main point, Baron took a brief moment and continued, "If you're different, you stick out."

     It was a rather random answer.

     "And you're alone when you're running away. I had to try several times harder than others because of my color," he added.

     'To not be left out,' Juho heard something that Baron hadn't said with his own lips.

     Baron continued with his story, "Wearing a matching uniform wasn't enough. Neither was eating the same food. If you want to blend in, one must see, listen, dislike and like the same things as everyone else. It wasn't much of a challenge to laugh at something that wasn't funny or criticize someone or something that I don't dislike. It was tolerable. At the end of the day, I made friends and my school life became enjoyable."

     As he finished speaking, Baron scowled. He was revisiting a bad memory.

     "There was a guy. I wasn't close to him, but I knew what he looked like. He was an average Joe, and we ended up in the same class in our third year of middle school. I'm not sure if he was having a hard time adjusting to his new environment, but he was running away from it all before I knew it. On the other hand, I was fine. Honestly, I didn't care about him. There were no issues, and then I graduated."

     Baron stopped for a brief moment before continuing, his voice cracking slightly, "But the other guy didn't. I heard he died."

     The wind blew. The air was cold.

     "When I heard that, I thought 'What is this? Why did this have to happen? Should I have done something? What? How?' I kept on thinking after coming up to high school. Before I knew it, a year had already passed. Still, I haven't reached an answer."

     Meanwhile, Baron told Juho that he thought of a hobby that he'd been forgetting about, "I had a sudden realization and bought a sketchbook, but I didn't really feel like joining an art club, let alone drawing by myself. So, I just went for it. However, as you know, things don't usually work out if you jump in with your eyes covered."

     "What didn't work out?"

     Baron scratched his head at Juho's question. With an absent-minded smile, he confessed his mistake.

     "I thought the Literature Club was one of the lazy clubs."

     A lazy club, Juho and Seo Kwang thought the same thing at one point.

     "Which means..."

     "I wasn't planning on being the sole artist in the club. All I wanted to do was draw while surrounded by other people who were busy with their study guides."

     A so-called lazy club meant any club that utilized their activity time for independent study sessions. Juho imagined Baron drawing by himself in such a club. Compared to the image he portrayed, he seemed rather timid.

     "I tried to pull myself out, but Mr. Moon wouldn't let me, saying that there weren't enough members. Since I had nothing to lose, I confessed to him. 'I'm not going to write. I'm going to draw.' Do you know what he said?"

     "What did he say?"

     "He said, 'That's fine too.'"

     Baron shook his head as if dumbfounded by what Mr. Moon had said.

     "He really made me stick out like a sore thumb from the first day. I didn't think the timid first years would come after me so proactively."

     'Aha! Now it made sense as to why Baron was in the situation he was in.'

     Baron probably wanted to make up for his past of wanting to be like everyone else. At the same time, he probably wanted to be forgiven. Yet, he had been left alone after all the time that had gone by and everything that took place in between.

     At the end, he started pushing himself. He consciously tried to swim against the current. He consciously tried to be left alone. Only, the Literature Club didn't leave him to do that to himself.

     "You've hit the nail right on the head when you mentioned what a student wanted."

     He wasn't the sole artist in the Literature Club. He was made so by Mr. Moon and the other members. At some point, Juho had asked everyone why they were trying so hard to get a writing sample from Baron. The answer had been simple, "He's the only one in the club we haven't gotten closer to."

     Juho looked at Baron as he sat still. Behind him stood the biggest tree in the school. It might look lonely, but underneath the dirt, there was a complex network of roots mingling with that of other trees.

     "Although trees don't even move..."

     "What are you saying?"

     "Over there."

     Right as Juho was about to explain, a voice came from behind them. Juho turned around to see 'Baron girl.' 'That was a surprise.' As Juho stared at her, she gave him a light nod.

     "Thanks for the help."

     Then, she pulled out her hand. There was a loaf of bread in it. It was a piece of sponge cake from the cafeteria, the most expensive item in the shop.

     "Oh, no! You don't have to."

     "Thank you," she repeated. Despite Juho turning down her gift, she remained insistent. When he finally took the bread, she turned around and walked back into the school building. It was a reward that had been completely unexpected.

     "Would you like half?"

     "I'm fine."

     "Oh, yeah! That reminds me. Didn't you receive a black plastic bag?"

     "...I did."

     "That was from Bom."

     Since Bom had been knocked out of the game before Seo Kwang even had time to speak, Juho spread the news for his friend.

     "I figured," Baron answered in a low voice.

     Baron was confused by the first years coming after him with such gusto. Now, there was another first-year in front of him who was well-prepared.

     Juho bit a piece of his sponge cake and said, "Would you like to make a bet?

     "A bet?" Baron asked at the unexpected offer.

     After swallowing the cake, Juho continued, "On whether or not the sponge-cake girl makes a friend or not."

     "What?"

     Baron was flustered. It happened because of his classmate who had been randomly called 'the sponge-cake girl.'

     As if it were no big deal, Juho continued, "Isn't that why you're paying attention to her? Because she's alone?"

     "When did I ever pay attention to her?"

     "I saw your eyes following her just now."

     Just as Baron was about to respond in anger, Juho raised his hand and stopped him.

     "Let's make a bet. Let's see if the sponge-cake girl makes a friend within a week."

     "...A week is kind of pushing it."

     There were already cliques in every class. Kids with similar interests came together and shared various hobbies. It wasn't an easy task to be part of a group that had already been solidified, let alone within a week! There was no chance.

     "So, let's make the bet. I'm betting that she makes a friend. If I lose, I'll make sure the first years leave you alone."

     "...and if you win?"

     "A sample of your writing, obviously."

     Baron hesitated. He was having trouble figuring out that first year calmly munching away at his sponge cake. He thought of the time when Juho's gaze was fixated on him as words flowed out of his lips like water.

     "This is not a trick, is it?"

     "I promise that I'll keep myself from interacting with the sponge-cake girl in any way. I can write a note as evidence if you want."

     Baron thought for a moment. A first year who kept on offering him a comic book, a first year who left him a bag full of snacks in secret, a first year who aroused his curiosity, and then a first year who emanated confidence.

     "Fine," Baron answered.

     *

     The first time Baron realized that he was different from everyone around him was in kindergarten. Baron met kids his age for the first time then. He was excited about kindergarten. Holding his mother's hand, he went into the kindergarten building.

     There was curiosity in the eyes of the kids looking at Baron. That was when Baron learned what people looked like when they saw something different from what he saw. Some kids moved away while other kids took the initiative to approach him.

     It wasn't a bad feeling. Baron himself had been curious about other kids his age. He was looking forward to the process of getting to know them. They started talking, and soon, they became friends.

     One day, a teacher from another class approached Baron's mother, "There's been a complaint from a parent regarding a black child."

     It wasn't hard to guess what the parents were complaining about. These were parents who were anxious about their children being exposed to potentially negative influences. Even as a young boy, Baron was able to understand that.

     Eventually, Baron left that kindergarten. The next place he went to was an art institute.

     There were countless colors and people. A college student wearing red shoes, a housewife with a blue grocery bag, a corporate worker wearing a navy blue tie, an elementary school student with a yellow hairband, they were all different from each other in occupation, age and appearance. Baron grew closer to those people. He enjoyed that he got to draw and paint with different people. It wasn't until recently that he revisited what that felt like.

     "Literature Club."

     There were countless words and first years with diverse personalities. Baron thought of Juho. He was an interesting one. The moment he looked into Juho's world, Baron was not the same as he used to be. Countless words came out of Juho's lips as he simply stared into Baron. Baron was intimidated by that strange sensation. He thought and he changed.

     Being alone made one stick out. The only person who stuck out was Baron himself. It was his dark skin that made him stick out like a sore thumb. That was the only thing that separated him from others, but Juho didn't have to force himself around it.

     He took the book in his hand and brushed it across with his other hand. There was a drawing of a bird. 'The Trace of a Bird.' It was a book at the height of its popularity. At any bookstore, that was the best-selling book. It was always being displayed at the most visible spot.

     Frankly, Baron had bought the book with the intention of mocking the author. Although the world claimed him to be a genius, Baron thought that it would be no more than some high school composition about shallow emotions. The public worshipped him, and Baron had been disgusted by it.

     "It was shocking."

     It was a shock indeed. Yun Woo's book dug relentlessly into its reader's mind.

     'How is this possible? What's worse is that he's even a year younger than I am. Why am I being affected by this stupid book so much?' thought Baron.

     He finished the book in no time. The moment he closed the book, Baron felt something hot in his chest. He had never shed a tear from reading a book. To Baron, that tear felt all the more foreign. Even when he heard the news about the passing of his friend in middle school, Baron didn't respond with tears. Still, he cried. Then, he felt refreshed.

     After calming his heart, he opened the book once again.

     Baron stopped in his tracks on the eye-catching cover. There were two sparrows sitting on a thick, gray telephone pole. Although it was a common sight, Baron found it to be awkward for some reason.

     "If I end up writing..."

     '... I want to write a story of a little sparrow that goes in search for a tree to sit on. For the birds that are tired of sitting on a telephone pole, I'll make a tree for them to rest on. I'll plant a sturdy tree filled with many branches.'

     "Of course, it was always 'if.'"

     Baron continued on his way. Then, he thought, 'It would have been fun to have that average Joe in the club.'

      The End

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     17 Chapter 17 - The Sole Artist in a Literature Club 3

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "I guess we all failed," Seo Kwang said with a sigh. It had been exactly a week since Juho had made the bet with Baron. That meant that the tug-o-war between Baron and the first-years would come to an by the end of that day.

     "There's still some time left."

     "It's already over at this point," Seo Kwang announced, resting his chin on his hand on Juho's desk. Juho looked around. There were students on cleaning duty cleaning the classroom. It was time for club activities. There was no hope.

     Despite involving the entire club in that situation, Juho sat peacefully, and Seo Kwang stared at him.

     "What were you thinking when you made that bet?"

     "It was half on impulse."

     Juho knew that Baron was interested in 'Sponge-Cake Girl.' From afar, she was alone. She was also introverted, yet ordinary. When Juho talked to her for the first time, he had simply been thinking out loud. Seo Kwang looked at him in disbelief.

     "So, you're telling me that this mischief of yours was on impulse? In the future, don't ever get yourself into gambling."

     "What do you mean 'mischief?'"

     "That's exactly what this is. You put your fate in the hands of a second-year whose name you don't even know. On top of that, you got everyone else in the club involved."

     "I suppose it is my bad that I didn't discuss this with others."

     Seo Kwang smacked his lips at Juho's apology. Then, he shook his head.

     "Well, there wasn't going to be another chance if you failed anyway. He doesn't come across as the type who would give into somebody pestering him, especially after already saying 'No.'"

     "I agree. That's why I went all in."

     "You're shameless."

     Juho laughed light-heartedly at Seo Kwang's criticism, and Seo Kwang stared at him for a while and asked quite seriously, "What would you do if it didn't work out?"

     If Juho's plan failed, then bridging the gap between Baron and the rest of the club members would be much more difficult. Mr. Moon had blatantly given them a chance to connect. If they didn't seize that blatant chance, than what followed would be blatant failure.

     "Things would be even more awkward between him and the rest of us."

     "That's what I'm saying. You couldn't have jumped in blindfolded. "

     Juho felt bad for Seo Kwang, but he hadn't planned for the possible failure. That was what it looked like to be impulsive. At Juho's silence, Seo Kwang's expression grew darker. 'What to do?'

     Juho had experienced countless failures up to the point of being homeless. He was sick of failing at something and he had no intention of reliving such a life. That was the reason why he was pushing ahead with his impulse.

     "You can't do anything if you're afraid of the results."

     There is no way to know the result of something until it reveals itself. That was especially true when it came to changing a person's heart. No matter how much one measured and calculated, they would never reach the answer. That was what made waiting such a nerve-racking event. Nothing was certain.

     "I can think of a plan after I fail."

     Juho was certain that there was going to be a way. There was nothing to get out of worrying from that point on. The plan hadn't failed yet. Besides, he had a good feeling about it. 'It'll work out,' he kept repeating to himself.

     Seo Kwang sneered at him, "Whatever. You owe me bread from the canteen if you fail."

     "I'll buy you a loaf of sponge cake."

     The two stood up from their seats to headed over to the science room. As they were on their way out through the back door, they found Baron standing in front of it.

     "Come out for a second."

     At his deep, resounding voice, the students on cleaning duty stopped what they were doing. It wasn't common for Baron to be seen on the first-year's floor. He had never come down voluntarily to see a first-year, until now. Seo Kwang pushed Juho from behind. It seemed like he wanted Juho to find out what was going on.

     "What brings you here?"

     "Why else would I be here aside from that one thing?"

     Baron was referring to the bet.

     "I'm guessing the result is out?"

     "How'd it go? Who won?" Seo Kwang asked, but Baron didn't answer. It seemed like he needed to discuss it privately, so Juho sent Seo Kwang ahead to the science room.

     "Take your time."

     "OK."

     Seo Kwang waved, and then Baron went out to the hallway with Juho following him. They remained silent until sitting under the same tree from the day before.

     Baron asked calmly, "How did you know?"

     It was somewhat of a random question, but Juho understood the gist of what he was trying to ask. 'I had a good feeling about it,' thought Juho.

     Then, he exclaimed with a smile, "The sponge-cake girl must have made a friend?!"

     "I asked how did you know."

     Baron thought about what had happened three days before. The sponge-cake girl had been talking with a group of people. The next day, and the following day, she was surrounded by people. She seemed happy, laughing and chattering with her friends.

     It took less than a week. Just as Juho had said, she had moved on from solitude. Then, there was Baron himself, remaining unfazed by it all.

     "You knew it was going to happen too, Baron." Baron didn't say a word, and Juho continued, "I saw her holding a book when I saw her on the second floor hallway: 'The Trace of a Bird.' It's a recent best-seller,"

     Baron hesitated at the familiar title.

     "Sponge-Cake Girl has a very introverted personality. Talking to someone first is not an easy task for her. In that case, somebody needs to approach her and talk to her. She had things to talk about all along. It was in her hand."

     Juho thought of the sponge cake he had eaten on the same spot where he was sitting. She had come to show gratitude to a first-year who she hardly knew, even with a small gift. Usually, one would think of a reason to move on:

     'I appreciate the help, but I don't know his class.'

     'I don't know his name.'

     'He's in a different grade, so I probably won't ever run into him again.'

     It was a connection that could have been easily neglected. On top of that, she was an introvert. It couldn't have been easy to talk to someone who she didn't know.

     Despite it all, she had brought Juho the sponge cake. It wasn't likely that a person like that would be left alone. Besides, she had been involved in the drama that had attracted the attention of an entire class and proven innocent. It wouldn't have been weird to be approached by at least one person.

     "What she needs is something to talk about."

     Then, there was silence, and Baron let out a smirk.

     "That was disappointing."

     There was emptiness in his tone. It was an emptiness that came from acknowledgement. Baron, too, had been keeping his eyes on Sponge-Cake Girl. He must have known better than any other person that being a loner didn't suit her.

     He seemed like he was thinking of someone when Juho said, "If you're alive, you can make it out."

     That's what being alone was like. A person couldn't live on his own. As long as he was alive, somebody was bound to come by.

     At that moment, they saw the Sponge-Cake Girl coming out of the school building with three other girls. Juho called her as he waved, "The cake was delicious!"

     "Right!"

     She was smiling brightly and actually responding to him talking to her. She had come looking for him after he helped her, and now she wasn't alone.

     "I should've tried to talk to her," said Baron. "I wish I had said something to that average Joe. He might have been able to last just a little longer."

     A person couldn't survive on his own. Baron bit his lips.

     "It's not your fault, Baron," Juho whispered.

     By the time Juho and Baron were the only people left in the yard, the bell rang throughout the entire school.

     They headed to the science room. Baron still gave off a brusque impression, but he looked a bit more comfortable. Without saying anything to each other, the two walked up the stairs and went into the science room.

     "Baron!"

     "What?" Baron answered tiredly.

     Ignoring his exhaustion, Sun Hwa continued, "I forfeit!"

     "What?"

     'What is she saying?' Baron seemed dumbfounded. Next to him, Juho also tilted his head in confusion. It wasn't like Sun Hwa to bring up forfeiting.

     Juho thought about explaining the situation to her, but Sun Hwa seemed like she still had things to say. She picked up a comic book. It was the same comic book she had been desperately trying to get Baron to read.

     She pointed to Baron with the comic book and said, "It's too late to ask if you can borrow it. Even if you're desperate to write a report on it, it's not going to work."

     "I'm not interested," at Baron's blunt answer, she stepped aside. There was a pile of comic books that were hidden behind her. "What is all this?"

     With a satisfied smile on her face, she presented her collection. As she explained each of her comic books with excitement, Baron asked her again, "So what?"

     "Let's read them together."

     "I thought you said you forfeit?"

     She shook her head at his response.

     "These are only suggestions. I want to share this passion of mine."

     Baron hesitated. He couldn't think straight. Recognizing his hesitation, Juho replied. "I want to read them too."

     Her eyes lit up, and she smile brightly.

     "I knew you'd understand. Comic books are even better when you read it with other people."

     "Then, count me in," Seo Kwang chimed in.

     "Not a chance," she replied ruthlessly.

     "That's not nice. Then, what about that one? You don't need it anymore."

     While Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa quarreled over a comic book, Juho took a book from the top of the pike and handed it to Baron.

     At Juho's gesture, Baron couldn't help but smile. Then, he pulled out the black plastic bag, full of snacks.

     "Here, have a snack."

     "Oh, wow! You really know how to impress us. This bag looks familiar though."

     "Somebody left it on my desk."

     While Bom sat nervously, Baron opened up several packs of snacks and spread them out onto the desk. It was a party. Everyone held a comic book in their hands while munching on the snacks. Reading comic books and snickering together was truly a fun experience.

     "I didn't know this was the comic book club."

     "Mr. Moon!"

     Mr.Moon came in and looked around the room. The Literature Club had turned into a comic book store. Then, he snatched one of the snacks from the desk and put it in his mouth.

     "Hand me a comic book, will you?"

     Eventually, the entire club was immersed in comic books.

     *

     "Yo, you missed a spot."

     As Juho leaned forward in his seat, a voice sounded above his head. It was obvious who the voice belonged to.

     "You mean here?"

     Pretending not to understand, Juho took a broom and swept across Seo Kwang's feet. There were chunks of hair and dust stuck on the end of the broom. It clearly wasn't well-maintained. Seo Kwang jumped up and stepped back.

     Juho was in the middle of cleaning the classroom. The cleaning rotation was based on the call number. There were three others on duty aside from him. Two of them swept the classroom with him, and the other was mopping the hallway. After sweeping for some time, Juho straightened his back. There was no painful groan. It was a blessing to have a young body.

     After checking for dust on his shoes, Seo Kwang leaned against a desk. Naturally, he opened the book in his hand and started reading. He had a habit of reading whenever there was a chance to. Juho himself was an avid reader, but it was nothing like Seo Kwang. 'He's an interesting fellow.' he thought.

      The End

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     18 Chapter 18 - Yun Woo is in Our School 1

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     Juho wrapped up the cleaning and went out to the hallway to throw out the trash. There used to be a trash can in each classroom, but being that it was hard to maintain, they were removed by the school. Instead, the students were to use a community trash can at the end of the hallway.

     Standing at the front of the trash can, Juho began separating the recyclables from his trash: a pen missing its lid, an eraser about to break in half, the crumpled up school newsletter, small pieces of paper, etc. They were all found on the classroom's floor.

     "What's this?"

     After he had finished separating the recyclables, there was another piece of paper lying on the hallway floor that caught his eyes. It must have fallen out of Juho's trash. Judging from the torn pages and crumpled up surface, it looked like it was treated roughly. When he saw the neat writing on the paper, he picked it up.

     "This..."

     Juho was shocked. He was familiar with what was written on the crumpled up paper.

     "Is this… a transcription?"

     It was part of a transcription of the book Juho had written. The neat penmanship abruptly came to an end.

     'Who wrote this?' thought Juho. Transcriptions were something Juho had been working on himself. It was part of the daily routine of the Literature Club. The purpose of it was to become a better writer.

     'Could this belong to someone who aspires to be a writer? Then there must have been better books. Why did this person choose 'The Trace of a Bird' of all books?' Juho was having trouble understanding the motive of the transcriber. Besides, did it mean something that Juho had found it next to a trash can?

     Seeing the homeroom teacher from a distance, Juho shoved in the crumpled up paper into his pocket and finished cleaning.

     'How boring.'

     It was the math class. The teacher, with his lower belly bulging out, had a simple teaching method. He wrote out the equations and the process on how to solve them. Then, as a final touch, he added a short and quick explanation to what was written on the chalkboard.

     The math teacher was surprisingly popular among the students. It wasn't because of his friendliness or his appearance, but because of his writing and equations.

     With his pinky finger sticking up while using the white chalk, his handwriting was neat and consistent. His craft reached its climax when he started drawing figures on the board. His drawings were comparable to those of an art teacher. They were steady and three-dimensional.

     What was funny was that even the teacher himself found satisfaction in his craft on the chalkboard. After class, on his way out, he looked at what he had written and drawn and smiled in a way that he never would to his students. For some reason, Juho thought of Mr. Moon. It felt like he had figured out why the math teacher was able to come to school so consistently.

     While Juho was spending time looking at the chalkboard, he noticed a disturbance in the class. When he looked around, he saw a small piece of paper being passed around. They were exchanging notes. Usually, he would have ignored it, but that time was different.

     There was a much bigger number of people exchanging notes with one another. It wasn't just a note between two individuals. Rather, it was a note being passed around to the entire class. It seemed more like a telegram than a note at that point, and Juho became curious. 'What's written on that paper that has to be passed around in the middle of class?'

     Eventually, the note reached Seo Kwang. He seemed confused about getting the note since he was reading his book on the down low, but soon, he opened it to read it. Juho stared intently at his back.

     His shoulders started moving up and down. Seo Kwang was quite shaken. He took his eyes off the note and looked around at his surroundings. It seemed like he was trying to find some sort of confirmation. Whenever his face passed by Juho, he could see the shock in Seo Kwang's face.

     'What was going on?' Juho tried to remember if anything had happened around that time of his life, but nothing came to him.

     After Seo Kwang had his moment, he quietly turned around to Juho and handed him the note. After anticipating reading it, Juho took the note without delay. For some reason, the paper was getting floppy. It must have been passed around the entire class. The moment Juho opened the floppy piece of paper, he had to stop himself from gasping out loud.

     The paper was filled with small letters. It read, "Yun Woo is in our school."

     'Is my cover blown? It doesn't really seem like it,' thought Juho.

     There wasn't much he could do in that difficult-to-understand situation. For that reason, Juho stared out the window absentmindedly until the math teacher left the classroom with a satisfied smile.

     "Hey," Seo Kwang called, quickly turning to Juho as soon the class ended.

     With a slight determination, Juho answered, "What?"

     Seo Kwang responded with a serious face, "Let's go."

     'Go? Where?'

     "Where?"

     "To meet Yun Woo."

     "What?"

     Juho was still confused. 'Where can anyone go to find Yun Woo? He's sitting right in front of you. What's happening?'

     "Let's hurry. The others went ahead."

     "Where are we going?"

     "What were you doing during class when the note was being passed around? Come on, I've heard she's in Classroom 7."

     "I was paying attention to the lesson, of course," Juho said, although he was actually spacing out then.

     As he caught up to Seo Kwang hurrying his steps, Juho was slowly came to grasp things. 'That must mean there's another Yun Woo in this school aside from myself. In Classroom 7 at that.'

     "Could it be a case of identity theft?"

     "What did you say?"

     "Nothing."

     Seo Kwang exclaimed with excitement, "It's just as I thought, a girl!"

     "Who?"

     "What do you mean who? Yun Woo, obviously!"

     "What? Yun Woo's a she?!"

     "Yeah, she must be really pretty."

     'No, Yun Woo is not a girl.' No matter how much Juho screamed it on the inside, Seo Kwang couldn't hear him. As much as Seo Kwang was excited about Yun Woo being a beautiful girl, it was merely an information regarding a case of identity theft to Juho's ears.

     In the front of Classroom 7, there was a crowd of people who had come to see Yun Woo after hearing the rumor. Seo Kwang and Juho made their way through the crowd into the classroom. Inside, was another crowd surrounding a girl in a large circle. It was obvious that she was the thief who had stolen the name "Yun Woo." When the two got closer to her, she was busy answering questions from other students.

     "How did you think of writing something like that?"

     "You know, there are a lot of people who are scared of pigeons lately. I was on the street one day and I heard a lady screaming. I thought she was in trouble so I went to her, and sure enough, it was because of a pigeon."

     "I've seen people do that."

     "Me too, me too! I saw this mom who was covering her daughter's mouth when some pigeons were flying away because they're dirty."

     "It makes sense though. They do kind of look harmful even at a glance."

     'Pigeons?' Juho was dumbfounded. As soon as the fake Yun Woo finished, other students surrounding her began to chime in.

     "After seeing that, I had an idea. I thought it'd be interesting to make the protagonist a person who suffers from a phobia of birds."

     "I see."

     "What's the secret to writing well?"

     She was coming up with stories that could likely exist. Another question came out of the circle of people surrounding the girl. With a smirk, she answered sincerely. The mole on her cheek moved up as she smiled.

     "Hm. How should I say this? I just let my hand do the work. You close your eyes, and think of an image, things you want to write about. Then, your hand will move on its own."

     "Wow! How long did it take you to write the entire book?"

     "The first draft didn't take long to finish. Maybe a week?"

     Juho clenched his fist from embarrassment. 'Why am I feeling embarrassed? What kind of nonsense is she saying about her hand moving on its own? How do you write with your eyes closed? One week? Where did that come from? 'The Trace of a Bird' is nearly a full-length novel. One week is nowhere near enough. What's this about?'

     As Juho shook in agony, another person raised his hand to ask another question, "The way your book described fear or terror was incredibly realistic. A lot of people are saying that it's based on experience."

     "I'm sorry. That's a bit of a sensitive question. I'm not sure if I can answer it."

     'Who does she think she is? Does she have no shame? Well, I suppose she couldn't have guessed that the real Yun Woo came to this school. She must be acting because she's not aware that she's being watched by the real Yun Woo.'

     That had never happened when Juho had revealed his face in the past. Yet, it was still somewhat of a familiar sight. Conversely, at that time, Juho had been the one surrounded by the crowd.

     Juho had spent his days in school being in the center of attention. At times, students from other schools would come visit him to find out if the rumor was true. He couldn't help but notice himself in that imposter. Still, her bluffs were getting out of hand.

     "That was kind of unexpected."

     At that moment, Juho heard his friend's murmur. There was a contrast in his voice from a moment ago. Yun Woo must have been quite different from what Seo Kwang had imagined. Juho looked at him and asked, "What kind of person were you hoping Yun Woo to be?"

     "Well, hm. If you put it that way, it makes it harder for me to answer. I guess pretty?"

     After some hesitation, he eventually answered with a joke, and Juho laughed it off without asking any further.

     Juho felt a little better. He looked at "Yun Woo," who was the center of attention. The mole on her cheek was moving about on her face whenever she smiled.

     With his eyes on the girl, Juho's lips parted, "Can I ask a question too?"

     "Yun Woo" nodded and accepted Juho's request. There was confidence in her face as if she could answer anything. To tackle the most fundamental curiosity he had, Juho asked, "You've been anonymous up to this point. Why reveal yourself now?

     Everyone had been friendly to her so far. At that point, there was no use in asking her to prove that she was real. For that reason, Juho decided to take a roundabout approach. He didn't show her any hostility. Rather, he asked as if he was genuinely curious.

     She seemed caught off guard for a moment, but soon, she straightened her face and answered Juho's question, "I'm a little flustered myself. I didn't think my cover would get blown like this. One of my friends saw the original copy of my book. I didn't want to be a liar."

     'The original copy, she says.' Juho reached into his pocket, and his hand caught something. A worn-out piece of paper rustled in his hand. Although he had no basis for it, Juho felt confident.

     'This is from her.'

     Juho slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket.

     "I see. You don't like to lie."

     "Yes."

     "You have a rough future ahead of you," Juho said to her as the sole person who knew the conclusion Yun Woo had come to. There was no benefit in borrowing that name.

     Having misunderstood him, she smiled innocently and said, "I think it's better than being a hypocrite. If you're uncomfortable at heart, you can't write well."

     "Wow! That's amazing."

     Juho thought for a moment and made her a final question. There were other students to his sides who were itching to ask her questions themselves.

     "How does it feel to be Yun Woo?"

     She smiled brightly and replied, "Great!"

      The End

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     The Great Storyteller

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     19 Chapter 19 - Yun Woo is in Our School 2

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "What do you think, Mr. Moon?" Sun Hwa asked.

     "What do you mean?" Mr. Moon asked in response as he took his seat.

     Sun Hwa shed some light on the latest hot topic in school.

     "As in Yun Woo."

     "What about him?"

     Mr. Moon seemed to have no clue of why that name was coming up. Having assumed that Mr. Moon would already know about the matter, Sun Hwa asked again in surprise, "... Do the teachers not know about this yet?"

     "What are you talking about?"

     "I'm talking about Yun Woo"

     "Who doesn't know Yun Woo?" Mr. Moon genuinely didn't seem to be aware that the renowned celebrity was in his class. Right as Sun Hwa was about to reveal the truth, Juho intervened.

     "Yun Woo comes to our school."

     "... What?"

     "What the!? I was going to say that!"

     Juho swiftly avoided Sun Hwa fierce glare at him, but Mr. Moon was sitting still in shock. Though he was hardly startled by anything, he was frozen in place by what he had just heard. That moment, another person stood up from his seat in disbelief. It was Baron. The two hardest people to surprise, sitting across from each other, staring out. It was quite a sight.

     As for Baron, he had no friends in his class who would share the news with him. It would make sense that he hadn't known until then. Judging from their reactions, it seemed like the rumor was yet to spread throughout the entire school.

     With a smile, Seo Kwang asked Baron, "You didn't know Baron? I saw some third-years coming by"

     "Yun Woo is in this school?"

     "Yeah. She's in Class Seven. She's pretty."

     "She? Yun Woo is a girl?"

     "I know. What HongSam said in his blog is right."

     Baron and Seo Kwang began to have a deep conversation about HongSam. HongSam was a famous blogger who believed Yun Woo was female.

     Having heard about HongSam earlier, Juho visited his blog one day. Along with his ridiculous opinion on Yun Woo's true identity, there were also reviews of books across various genres. Unlike Juho's expectation, there were quite a few regulars who visited his blog.

     HongSam seemed quite humorous and skilled in identifying the core message of a book. There was not a moment of boredom.

     Even Juho purchased a book at some point after having read his blog, so that proved it. Listening to Baron and Seo Kwang's conversation, Juho quietly nodded. Ignoring the boys, Sun Hwa continued with her story about Yun Woo for Mr.Moon.

     "She sounded like an artist when she talked. Apparently, once she closes are eyes and feels her inspiration, her hand writes on its own. Isn't that fascinating? I'm telling you, she's a genius."

     "She was surrounded by other students the entire day. Even so, she answered every question without showing any sign of fatigue ."

     "Hm," Mr. Moon groaned vaguely at Sun Hwa's and Bom's words. His expression was similar to Seo Kwang's when he had gone over to see 'Yun Woo.'

     "Why wouldn't Yun Woo join the Literature Club? She's a novelist," Sun Hwa said.

     Then, Juho replied, "Well, just because someone is a novelist doesn't mean that person has to be a part of the Literature Club. Maybe Yun Woo wants to experience other things because she's already a novelist."

     "I guess so. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable if Yun Woo was part of the club."

     "How so?"

     "Isn't it obvious? It's shameful to try to write something in front of a professional. Besides, we're the same age."

     After a brief silence, Juho's mouth opened, "Shameful?"

     "Well, it's just… embarrassing. It's like holding a candle to the sun."

     "Is that right?"

     "Alright, enough chit-chat."

     Mr. Moon clapped his hands and calmed the excitement. For a while, the Literature Club had been focusing on improving vocabulary and transcription. The members had been harvesting words from the sea, land, their respective homes, and streets.

     "We're going to be using our bodies today, so let's move the desks."

     They acted according to Mr. Moon's instruction. They separated the two rectangular desks that were next to each other and lined them up into a single row. The five sat on one side of a desk while Mr. Moon remained on the other side on his own. It looked like Mr. Moon was being interviewed for a job. He took out a notebook he had brought with him and continued with his instructions.

     "In this notebook, you will find various words. One person has to explain the word I show him or her, and the rest of you have to guess."

     "Is this a quiz?"

     Juho had seen another quiz of a similar format on the TV, so Mr. Moon explained the difference between that class and the TV show, "There is no time limit. Make sure you focus more on explaining than guessing the correct answer. We have a lot of time, so take your time observing your surroundings. Explain as if you were listing the characteristics of the object. You'll get it as we go on."

     It was still confusing. Seo Kwang was called first because he was sitting on the left-most side of the desk. Since Mr. Moon said that everyone would have a turn, Juho was made last.

     Mr. Moon stood behind the members who were sitting and revealed the word on his notebook to Seo Kwang. It really felt like the speed quiz on TV.

     Seo Kwang hesitated for a brief moment when he saw the word, but soon stammered his way through. Although there was no time limit, he started speaking faster and faster.

     "Uh, so this. It's an image of a city. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of a city."

     "Fanciness? Bright lights?" Sun Hwa was blurting out whatever she could think of, but Seo Kwang shook his head.

     "It's far from fanciness. Opposite, in fact. It melts under heat! Also, it cracks when it gets… old?"

     "Most things melt under heat and crack with age."

     Ignoring Juho, Seo Kwang continued, "In literature, they use this word to portray something bad about a city. Gray! It's gray; it's used in construction, and you can find them in residential areas. They use this for building streets, and if you fall on it, you'll hurt your knee. Maybe it's usually mixed with a few other things. It's gray."

     It was still unclear what Seo Kwang was describing. Still, everyone had an idea.

     Sun Hwa exclaimed, "Concrete!"

     "Correct!"

     Everyone turned around and found the word 'cement concrete' written on Mr. Moon's notebook. In parenthesis, it was also written "'concrete' counts as an answer."

     "Maybe? Why'd you say maybe?"

     "Hey, it's not like I'm studying architecture. How much would I know about concrete?"

     "Even then, you shouldn't say something if it's not a fact."

     "You try it!"

     At that, Sun Hwa walked out confidently to the front. She looked intently past the other club members in their seats and then at the notebook. For a brief moment, she was lost in her thoughts.

     In the meantime, Juho saw an artist sitting toward the middle of the desk, recording the activity of the Literature Club members. His hand moved about his sketchbook.

     As Juho watched, Sun Hwa began her explanation, "OK. So, this is something that comes out during important scenes. There's a song about it too. It looks prettier from afar."

     "You don't look that pretty even from afar, so it can't be you."

     "I'm going to hurt you!"

     Sun Hwa raised her fist at Seo Kwang as he mocked her. At Bom's awkward laughter because of them, Sun Hwa continued, "It's season-sensitive. Each has its own place, but some don't… and there's a lot of them. It's not visible during the day, but only at night. Oh, him! It has something to do with his name!"

     Then, Sun Hwa pointed fiercely at Juho. All eyes were fixed on him as she pointed out suddenly. 'Juho. Woo-Juho' (TL Note: Wooju sounds like the Korean word for space).

     "Mozart really liked this!"

     "Oh, stars!"

     "Correct!"

     Seo Kwang got it right this time.

     'I guess space does have something to do with it,' Juho admitted to himself while thinking about his name. Then, he proceeded to ask a question, "Mozart liked stars?"

     "He composed music about it. Wouldn't you think he did?"

     Juho stopped himself from acting on his urge to ask "what makes that assumption so different from Seo Kwang's?"

     Next, was Bom. She seemed nervous to be standing in front of the others.

     "You got this!" Sun Hwa cheered for her while shaking her arms. Seo Kwang joined in by shaking his hand at her. Juho, too, clapped gently as a means of encouragement.

     As soon as she saw her word, Boom started talking, "It's delicious. Um, it's usually for dessert and everyone sits around it. Uh, and some don't have seeds."

     "Watermelon?"

     At 'seedless,' Sun Hwa had thought of watermelon, but it wasn't the right answer. Bom gently waved her hand in denial and continued.

     "You can get drunk from it if you drink it. It can be made into candy or a poem. You don't eat the peel or the seeds."

     "You don't eat the peel? Is it an Orange?"

     "Really? You get drunk from drinking an orange?"

     As Seo Kwang and Sun Hwa quarreled, Juho quietly raised his hand. His answer may have been somewhat subjective, but he immediately understood from one of the clues: 'you can get drunk from it if you drink it.'

     "Grapes!"

     "That's correct."

     "I was thinking the same thing!" Seo Kwang exclaimed. Then, he critiqued one of Bom's clues, "I eat every part of the grape, even the peel and the seeds."

     "What for?" Sun Hwa questioned him in response.

     With an apologetic expression, Bom told him, "I don't eat the peel or the seeds, so I just said it without thinking."

     "Well, I guess that makes sense. There's not even a time limit, but this is so nerve-racking."

     So far, every person had shown a tendency of talking or trying to talk faster. Everyone was getting anxious because they felt like they were competing in a quiz show.

     "I guess I'm next," Juho said as he stood up from his seat.

     From the front, he faced Mr. Moon holding his notebook. It really was like a quiz show. Juho's eyes met with Mr. Moon's. Without hesitating, he turned the page. The word 'snake' was written on the notebook, and he took a moment to think.

     'Snake, snake.'

     Juho immediately thought of the snake wine, but quickly moved on to a different image. He wasn't old enough to be thinking about such a thing.

     "This has no fins, wings, or legs, but it lives in both the water and the desert. It's known to be poisonous. It's very seductive, but even if you give into its charm, you won't end up taking off your clothes."

     "That's so suggestive!" having shouted such a thing, Seo Kwang was left with no choice but to face Sun Hwa and her pitiful glare.

     "It signifies wisdom and medicine, and it has hundreds of ribs. It's the only reptile among twelve animals, and it won sixth place in Kyung Joo."

     That was more than enough, and the three answered simultaneously, "Snake!"

     "Correct," Juho told everyone.

     Then, he quietly returned to his seat. Looking at him, Seo Kwang thought to himself, 'He's good.'

     Having been training his vocabulary so far, Seo Kwang could only acknowledge the skill Juho possessed. Juho excelled in language. Sun Hwa and Bom were both competent, but Juho was on a different level. He had the cognitive skills, but there was something about him that set him apart.

     At that moment, Bom asked Seo Kwang, "I've been thinking this since last week, but doesn't Juho speak really comfortably?"

     "Yeah!" Seo Kwang agreed with her enthusiastically, and Bom was slightly taken aback by such passionate response.

     "We're running out of breath as is, but there's no hesitation in his speech."

     "That's not fair."

     Sun Hwa and Seo Kwang glared at Juho. Even if they were to complain, he had nothing to say in response. He stared into the ceiling and, choosing to mumble through his words, he said, "Maybe it's because I like snake wine?"

      The End

     You are reading

     The Great Storyteller

      ebook which is a free download at

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     20 Chapter 20 - Yun Woo is in Our School 3

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     As time passed, the rumor about 'Yun Woo' spread widely. Countless people, regardless of their year, had been coming in and out of Class 7, and Yun Woo was always in the middle of a crowd. Everyone's attention was on her. Even in places where she wasn't physically present, there were always people talking of Yun Woo, and it was no different in Juho's class.

     "I told my mom, but she wouldn't believe me. I told her that the entire school knows about it, but she just completely made a fool out of me."

     "Really? My sister gave me her book to get it autographed. I got myself a fried chicken dinner out of that deal."

     "Lucky! I was going to take a picture of her, but she said no."

     "She wouldn't let you take a picture? I didn't turn in my phone so I could take a picture of her later."

     "I don't know."

     In some sense, that massive level of attention toward Yun Woo was a natural response. Yun Woo was an author who had the record of being both the youngest to win the publishing contest and debut into the literary world. Once an anonymous genius revealed his or her identity, people were bound to want to see them in person, even from afar. That girl was within a reachable proximity of her fans, who were also her fellow students. It made sense that she was receiving so much attention.

     The hallway was busier than ever. Juho looked out and saw that Yun Woo was standing in the middle of it. There were enough students to keep them from passing through. Several students started complaining, but nobody was listening to them. That was not good.

     "Yun! Please give me an autograph!"

     A male student ran out into the hallway in the middle of chatting with his friends next to Juho. Everyone was trying to get an autograph from her. Some even pulled out their fresh, barely read copy of 'The Trace of a Bird.' It was obvious that they hadn't read the book. Those students were trying to get an autograph from the supposed author without having read the book themselves, which was also a common sight and type of student.

     "Me too! Me too!"

     Juho approached the crowd of people clogging up the hallway.

     'How would this impostor handle my demand for an autograph? Would she actually sign it?'

     As if she were mocking him, Yun Woo took out a pen from her pocket and asked another student, "Where do you want me to sign?"

     "Here, next to the title."

     "Name?"

     Juho snickered. He must have been underestimating that fake Yun Woo.

     "Haha! Oh, my."

     He gave up on her shameless attitude. The hallway quickly turned into a signing event for the fans, and Juho started to get worried.

     'What if she really believes herself to be the real Yun Woo?'

     "Are you waiting for an autograph too?" Seo Kwang came up to him and asked.

     Juho shook his head.

     "I don't even own a copy. What about you? You own three!"

     "Nah, there are just too many people."

     To Juho, Seo Kwang wasn't somebody who would miss an opportunity like that for such a simple reason. He stared at his friend for a while and asked, "Are you doubting that she's real?"

     Seo Kwang seemed uncomfortable with Juho's bluntness. Like Juho had said, he had doubts. That Yun Woo, now the center of attention, was beautiful and just like how he imagined her to be, but something wasn't right.

     "Maybe. Something tells me that it's not her."

     "What makes you say that?"

     "That's why I'm keeping quiet!"

     There was frustration in his tone, and seeing Juho smiling, Seo Kwang asked, "What do you think?"

     "Oh! Hey, guys!"

     The moment Seo Kwang asked him, the two heard a familiar voice calling for them. When they turned their heads, they saw Bom standing behind them. She had a book in her hand.

     "You're getting it signed?" Juho asked with a surprised look, and Bom blinked rapidly from embarrassment.

     "It's just that… I really enjoyed the book."

     "Eh, there's nothing wrong with that," Juho moved aside as he responded light-heartedly.

     However, instead of walking past them, Bom stopped and looked at Juho and Seo Kwang. Then she asked, "Are you guys not getting one?"

     "Yeah, I don't own a copy."

     "I don't think I can dare get through that crowd."

     There was a wall of people in the direction where Seo Kwang had pointed. It was a wall that separated Juho from Yun Woo. Bom hesitated for a moment and soon shook her head.

     "I don't think I can either. I'll pass."

     "Huh?! Are you sure? I can help if you need it."

     "It's OK. I'm not necessarily a fan of the author," Bom said as she embraced her book.

     At her response, Seo Kwang approached her with a bright smile, "That's unexpected. I thought you wouldn't be into novels because you only read comic books with Sun Hwa. What are you reading? What genre? What did you read most recently? Do you have a favorite author? Do you prefer foreign novels or Korean novels?"

     Bom was getting overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, but soon stammered her way through. Finding the sight amusing, Juho watched them. Because of her timid personality and the fact that she was mostly around Sun Hwa, there were hardly any opportunities to strike a direct conversation with her.

     "Uh... I don't read a whole lot, but I do have a few that I really like."

     "Aha! So you're the type who reads a book over and over once you get really into it. Hm, that's good too."

     Seo Kwang nodded enthusiastically. He and Bom seemed to be talking casually at first, but now, he was pushing for his one-sided book suggestions. Seeing how Bom didn't seem annoyed by it, Juho didn't do anything to stop his friend. Seo Kwang had a tactful personality himself, so he would have stopped if Bom looked uncomfortable.

     Juho redirected his attention to Yun Woo. A girl was asking for an autograph.

     "Could you write something next to your signature too?"

     "You want me to write something?"

     "Yeah, like a special note. It would bump up the value of the book."

     Yun Woo had been signing with a smile on her face so far, but for the first time, there was a change in her expression. It was subtle, but it was clearly noticeable to him. The girl who requested for a special note began to grow impatient and hurried Yun Woo.

     Then, Yun Woo quickly changed her tone and responded angrily, "What's a book to you?!"

     "Huh?"

     "If the value of a book is determined by the signature of a celebrity author or a special note, then my writing has no purpose. A book is precious on its own."

     The hallway grew quieter. There were sounds of people whispering. The girl who made the special request was flushing from being humiliated in front of the crowd, but Yun Woo pushed on, "You're planning on selling this on the internet, aren't you? I'm offended that you're asking for a special favor without even telling me your name."

     "What are you talking about?!"

     Although the girl was denying it, Yun Woo kept a stern look. As for the crowd who had been watching, it was obvious whose side they were going to take. Nobody wanted to be enemies with a person who had something to offer, especially when there was something to be gained from that person.

     Besides, it was already suspicious enough that the girl wasn't giving her name. To Juho, however, there was little to no difference between those two girls.

     'A purpose to write... Only a person who actually writes can make that statement convincing.'

     Lunch time came, and everyone rushed toward the cafeteria. The sound of rumbling footsteps resounded in the hallway. Usually, Juho and Seo Kwang would head over to the cafeteria after the crowd had passed their classroom, but that day was different. There was a place to be.

     Juho stood up from his seat.

     Since he had already given Seo Kwang a notice, Seo Kwang went onto the cafeteria along all the other students. He had a skill of getting along with just about anyone. However, outside of a certain group, he didn't mention anything about books. Afterall, a book-loving high-school student was a rare find.

     Juho opened the door and walked into Class 7. Just like he had done in the past, Yun Woo was sitting alone in the classroom. It had been the only time of the day that Juho had gotten to be alone.

     "Are you alone?"

     "Yes," Yun Woo replied gently.

     Intentionally, Juho responded with a mean attitude, "Nothing's more important than food."

     'No matter how big of a fan.' he thought.

     "Why are you here?" she asked.

     There was a subtle edge in her tone, and Juho stood next to her seat.

     Yun Woo looked up to him and asked again, "Are you here to see me?"

     Juho nodded lightly.

     "I'm here to meet Yun Woo."

     "Why?"

     "I have something to give you."

     "I guess Yun Woo came before food in your mind."

     Juho responded camly, "I already ate, although it was bread instead of rice."

     Yun Woo frowned at him and then changed the subject, "So, what is it that you wanted to give me?"

     "Actually, I have something to tell you before that."

     As if she had been expecting it, she looked intently at him, and Juho continued without hesitation, "I think you should be mindful of giving autographs in the hallway."

     "What?" Yun Woo asked. It wasn't what she had expected.

     "It makes it difficult for others to pass through if there's a crowd of people blocking the way. I think you need to be mindful of that."

     Yun Woo spaced out for a moment, but she soon came to her senses and responded, "I see. You're right. I didn't think about that. I'll be careful from now on."

     "Oh, this is something I heard from another person. Is it true that you're close to other famous authors?"

     After circulating through the school for a while, the rumors she had started eventually reached him. One of them was that Yun Woo let her fans talk on the phone with other authors.

     "Yes, it's true. Why, do you have an author you like?"

     "Of course. As ordinary as I am, I'm part of the Literature Club."

     "Ah, you're in the Literature Club. So who do you like?"

     She appeared confident.

     "If I tell you, would you let me talk to the author on the phone?"

     "If I know the person. But being an author is an incredibly busy job, so I hope you know that they might not be able to answer."

     'Of course,' Juho understood her attitude. It was such a cop out answer.

     "That's fine then. I don't want to bother someone when they're busy either."

     "Thanks for understanding."

     He decided to ask her one more question before handing her what he had brought. He personally wanted to hear her answer while the real Yun Woo came face to face with the impostor. There could be something worth noting, so he listened carefully.

     "How are you planning on writing the sequel?"

     "A sequel?"

     She seemed confused by the seemingly random question about a sequel. The book hadn't even been out that long. As usual, however, she gave an adequate answer, "I'm not sure yet. I do have a few ideas in mind."

     "What are they?"

     "That's it..."

     Juho took the initiative before she had a chance to remain discreet, "I'll keep it a secret. So, just tell me."

     "... What?"

     She became flustered, unlike with her usual, shamelessly confident attitude. Juho was also caught by surprise by the unexpected reaction.

     "You seem flustered."

     "Well, it's just that you were asking so intently."

     "I was?"

     Juho had seen worse. She hadn't been flustered like that back then. Her reaction raised a question in his mind.

     'Why is she so flustered? What is she flustered by?'

     "Secret?"

     "What?"

     "The thing I asked you to tell me?"

     "..."

     While staring at her face, Juho replayed what he had just said to her.

     'I'll keep it a secret.'

     A secret. The meaning of the word was startling her. It tore down her shamelessness and shook her.

     There was a rustling sound in Juho's pocket.

     'Aha!'

     "Did your friend say the same thing?"

     "My friend?"

     Juho took the paper out of his pocket.

     "The friend who found this transcription."

     Once she took the paper from him, her face turned pale.

      The End

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     21 Chapter 21 - Yun Woo is in Our School 4

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Transcription? That's the original draft!" the impostor insisted. She was probably planning on responding calmly, but she had made a mistake.

     Juho continued while smiling, "I guess you did write it."

     The impostor became flustered by his words. She finally realized that she had made a mistake, and an implicit sense of anxiety came upon her like a wave.

     'No, it's not over yet,' the girl tried desperately to think of a way to escape that situation.

     Juho continued as if he were trying to comfort her, "To someone who isn't familiar with transcribing, they might think that this was the original. Unless you're an enthusiast or an aspiring writer, you wouldn't come to think about copying a book."

     "I told you, this is the original!"

     "And I told you, I'm in the Literature Club."

     The girl clenched her hands tightly under her desk, and they were turning pale. If he really was in the Literature Club, he would know. He would know that an original couldn't be that sloppy. He would know that a book couldn't be written from scribbles on a cheap notebook, with no traces of endless anguish and editing on its pages.

     Still, she kept on, "I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but if you're going to be unreasonable, you should leave. No, I will."

     The girl stood up, rattling her seat. Even then, Juho was still looking down from above. Her pride hurt from having to look up from below.

     He blocked her on her way out, and she grimaced at him. Her composure was already lost. Juho replayed the events from a moment ago. Along with a crowd blocking the hallway and students keeping their cell phones to take pictures, the students had been impacted by Yun Woo in many other ways. It was only going to get worse.

     Besides, the impostor standing in front of him didn't seem all that happy anymore. For the first time, someone had cast doubt on her. It was a firsthand experience. Though every person seemed to be worshipping her at the moment, it was certain that there were others who doubted her underneath the surface. It was just that for Seo Kwang and Mr. Moon.

     The longer she stayed as Yun Woo, the more people's doubts would eventually rise to the surface to suffocate her.

     Juho looked up to the ceiling for a brief moment and thought, 'It's probably best for everyone else if I stop her now.'

     He moved aside and let her through. As she walked past him, Juho said, "It was a lie that wasn't going to last from the get-go."

     The girl stopped in her tracks. Juho had camly declared her end.

     "A lie? It's nothing like that!"

     "It's not enough to trick your schoolmates. It won't cut it if you are to handle a name like Yun Woo."

     "...Why not?" Yun Woo turned around angrily. Her expression was filled with jealousy and a sense of inferiority. "What's so great about Yun Woo that I can't handle? He's just an author. People might call him a genius or 'the youngest author to do this and that,' but he's no more than a writer at the end of the day."

     She bit down on her lips. It was over. She might as well have confessed the truth. Yet, Juho nodded with a smile.

     "You're right. I don't understand why everyone's going crazy."

     "... Really?"

     "Yeah."

     "Aren't you a fan of Yun Woo?"

     "Nope."

     "..."

     'This guy just agreed with me,' the girl thought in midst of surprise. 'This isn't the end. It's already impossible to trick him. He's the only person who knows that I'm not the real Yun Woo. As long as I keep his mouth shut, I can be rid of this anxiety.'

     "Then, can you keep all of this a secret?"

     "I don't think so."

     Juho turned her down immediately, but the girl continued to beg him.

     "How come? I thought you weren't a fan."

     "I never said I dislike him."

     As she was about to continue, Juho raised his hand to stop her. At that point, there was no point in arguing whether he liked or disliked Yun Woo. He decided to set her free from her illusion.

     "Like I said, this was a lie that wasn't meant to last. You're thinking that you just have to keep my mouth shut, right? But think about it. Do you really think I'm the only person you need to worry about?"

     Her eyes moved restlessly. She was still having trouble understanding, and Juho calmly explained to her the things she would experience.

     "The rumor spread to the teachers too. Your homeroom teacher will be looking for you soon because being Yun Woo is a big plus when moving up to college. You're going to need a document that proves your identity."

     "I'll just tell the teacher that I won't be going to college."

     Her voice began to shake. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

     "Your photo could be an issue too."

     "Photo? What photo? I've been telling people not to take pictures of me."

     "That won't stop these kids. Do you know how many kids are taking pictures of you from afar without you knowing? They're probably showing it around to their families and friends saying things like 'Yun Woo is in our school. I even got her autograph. This is her photo.' On top of that, do you think they'll stop at families and friends? If they upload their pictures to the internet, this becomes an even bigger issue. Reporters will come looking for you, and the publishing company will probably want confirmation. You'll come out on the news too. At that point, you'd have already been caught, and then some. 'A female fellow high school student who impersonated Yun Woo - I just wanted to be Yun Woo.'"

     Her face grew more and more pale.

     "No way! That's not true!"

     "Yun Woo is a celebrity already. On top of that, he's staying anonymous and refuses every single interview. The reporters are probably dying to talk to him. If your identity becomes known, these people will be in a race to get to you first."

     Juho wasn't merely trying to intimidate the girl. The name carried real weight and significance in reality. Having just understood the weight of her predicament, the girl trembled in fear.

     "So, you should stop while you can. Your teacher hasn't called for you yet. You haven't had a reporter wanting to interview you either."

     "How can I!" lowering her head, the girl screamed desperately. "How can I confess? What would happen to me if I tell everyone that I've was a fake all along?"

     "It's probably going to be a tad embarrassing."

     "A tad!?"

     She was writhing in despair. Being a genius was fascinating. He or she had left behind a beautiful piece of work and received praise from all over. The girl wanted to be a genius like that. One day, Yun Woo suddenly came into existence. Simply put, he was a genius. His work was innocent and pure. Before she knew, she had been captivated by it.

     Then the girl began to transcribe his book. She had copied everything that could be found in his book onto her cheap notebook. It was hard to believe that her and Yun Woo were the same age. How could they be so different? She was swept into a storm that made her feel inferior and loathsome. So, she ripped up her notebook. She didn't want to live any longer.

     It was a coincidence that her friend had found her notebook. No, she had actually hoped for it to happen. She wanted the name to be hers. She wanted everyone to think that she was the real Yun Woo. She had left her notebook on her desk on purpose and then left it unoccupied.

     With the notebook in her hand, the friend asked, "Are you really Yun Woo?"

     The girl had hesitated, but her friend continued, "I'll keep it a secret. Just tell me."

     So, the girl answered, "Yes, I'm Yun Woo."

     It had been thrilling to say those words.

     "This is it. It's all over."

     Just like that. It had felt so good, but it was all over. The life she knew had crumbled away.

     It was a disaster. Her hair covered her face as her head lowered itself. It felt like she was surrounded by darkness. It was suffocating. Nobody could live like that. She wanted to jump off the school building. She wanted to run away. She wanted to end her life.

     "Hahaha!"

     Laughter.

     There was sound of laughter. When she looked up, Juho was laughing with his hands on his belly. 'Is he laughing? Seriously? How can he laugh in a situation like this?'

     "Are you laughing because this has nothing to do with you? How could you?! I'm even contemplating my life!"

     "Over this? It's fine. You'll be fine."

     "What?"

     'What is this guy thinking. Does he not know what I've been doing? How can he say that it's going to be fine?'

     "You were just so shameless when you were giving out your autograph, so I thought you would have the guts to survive through the troubles of being a celebrity."

     Autographs. She felt a wave of heat traveling up to her face. Her illusion had shattered, and now she was back to reality. A chaotic storm of shame and humiliation had overcome her mind.

     'I can't. I can't tell the truth. I just want to die.'

     As if he were able to see the state of her heart, Juho said, "You know that it only gets worse the longer you stall, right?"

     "I don't know! I don't care!"

     Juho continued through her confusion, "Would you like to know why you weren't able to handle living as Yun Woo?"

     "What are you talking about?"

     She was already aware of the truth. She didn't need to be told that she wasn't a genius. She didn't want to be.

     "It's because it wasn't your name."

     "It wasn't my name?" she asked again, caught off guard by Juho's answer.

     "Yes," he affirmed.

     "It's folly to live under another person's name. Folly. Do you really want to take your own life over something like that?"

     "Folly," she muttered after Juho. 'Folly. Living under another person's name.' His words were floating around in her thoughts. Something felt quite empty. At the same time, she felt her burden had lightened.

     'What is this? Was I burdened by something?"

     Her mouth hung idiotically, and Juho laughed again at the sight.

     "Well, you might have to reimburse a handful of people who got their books signed. Oh! And you should expect some people wanting to beat you at night. You might even have nightmares about it. You did do something that was rather stupid."

     "Stupid."

     Nothing had been solved. If anything, her life was now full of things to make up for. There was not a single piece of good news.

     "I've been stupid all along… Haha!" she laughed simply, like an idiot.

     *

     Mr.Moon went into the classroom to begin his lesson. Class 7, it was the class Yun Woo was in, supposedly.

     As usual, he opened his book and began his lesson. On the other hand, he was looking around the classroom. Frankly, he was looking at one particular student, Ina Jang. She was the student who was supposedly known as Yun Woo. The mole on her cheek made her stand out among the others. As if she had been told a joke before class, she had been snickering throughout the lesson. The mole on her cheek moved up and down as she did.

     Mr. Moon called out a student to wake him up from the after-lunch slumber. Then, he asked him to answer a question from the textbook. After some thought, he answered with a mischievous smile, "Mr. M, I don't know what the answer is. You should ask Yun Woo."

     Though he wasn't intending on it at first, Mr. Moon turned his eyes to Ina. He was curious about how she would respond. After thinking for a brief moment, she stood up.

     "I'm not Yun Woo."

     There was silence. Even the students who were laughing at first began to grasp the situation one by one. Ina continued, "I'm not Yun Woo."

     She wasn't crying or smiling. She confessed as if she were sharing a fact.

     "The real Yun Woo is probably..."

     'The real Yun Woo is probably somebody like that guy. Somebody who can change a person's heart in the blink of an eye. Juho Woo was it?' Ina thought as she looked around.

     The students were dumbfounded. Some were fiercely glaring at her as if they had suspected it. There was chaos in the classroom. Ina clenched her fists and stood still. She didn't want to run away from that.

     "You're a psycho!" One student said. Ina remembered her. It was the student who had asked for a special note.

     "Psycho. Idiot. Potato, potahto."

     "What?"

     Ina decided to stop her foolishness. She lowered head and apologized to the class.

     "I was stupid. I'm sorry. I wanted attention. If I signed your book, bring it to me, and I'll get you a new copy. Again, I apologize. I'm sorry."

     The class was filled with confusion. Mr. Moon grasped the situation and sighed. He had been somewhat looking forward to meeting Yun Woo in person.

     Mr. Moon resumed his lesson.

     *

     "Finally, some peace and quiet," Seo Kwang said as he looked out at the empty hallway.

     Juho agreed. Things had settled down at school since the appearance and the exit of the impostor, at least on the surface.

     Since it had been revealed that Ina Jang was not the real Yun Woo, everyone who claimed to be her fan had turned away from her. Among the group were her friends who first called her Yun Woo.

     "Is that girl doing OK?"

     "Who?"

     "You know, the impostor. Ina Jang was it?"

     "Why do you ask me?"

     Seo Kwang asked back with a confused look on his face, "Didn't you go to Class 7 during lunch?"

     "What makes you think that?" Juho asked curiously, blinking his eyes in surprise.

     "She confessed in front of her class right after you disappeared during lunch. I thought you had something to do with it."

     "I think you need to base your thoughts on something more solid."

     "I had a feeling, to be frank. It wasn't you though?"

     Though he described his thought to be a mere feeling, Seo Kwang was getting a strong impression that Juho was somehow involved. It might have been that he had a strange image of Juho after his bet with Baron. Nevertheless, Juho gave an affirming nod to Seo Kwang's question.

     "I did go to Class 7."

     "Are you serious? What did you do to make her confess?"

     "You know, this and that."

     Juho didn't say much. Being the quick-witted person he was, Seo Kwang rephrased the question, this time, focusing on the present.

     "So, how's she handling the aftermath?"

     "It seems like she's reimbursing others for the books she signed for now."

     Thinking about the kids who were criticizing Ina, Seo Kwang asked again, "I saw her eating alone earlier. Aren't you going to eat with her?"

     Juho snickered at him, "Apparently, she's always been eating alone, even as Yun Woo. She didn't want my company."

     "Of course. I guess she did have the guts to steal Yun Woo's name all along."

     With his chin, Juho pointed outside, through the window. Wearing her P.E. uniform, Ina was standing on the schoolyard, and Seo Kwang turned his eyes to her.

     "Who's that?"

     "I don't know. A girl who's into special things?"

     Ina was having a conversation with another girl. It was clear that they weren't talking about pleasant things.

     "It looks super serious."

     The two girls were now scowling at each other. On the other hand, not one person looked away.

     "You never know how a relationship will turn out."

     "What are you saying? What the, they're fighting! They're grabbing each other by the hair!"

     "They're going to be famous."

     Everyone focused their attention at the brawl in the schoolyard. Regardless of their year, a crowd of people gathered around the two in a circle.

     A few days later, she was no longer eating alone.

      The End

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     22 Chapter 22 - Injured, Discretion, Non-permanent Marker

      Translated by: ShawnSuh

     Edited by: SootyOwl

     "Word chain, go! Next member."

     "Huh? Me?"

     Although he was caught off guard by Mr. Moon's sudden shouting, Seo Kwang calmly thought of a word. Juho had been just as confused. For someone who started something in such an abrupt manner, Mr. Moon looked peaceful. With a piece of chalk in his hand, he waited for Seo Kwang's answer.

     "I, injured."

     Then Seo Kwang looked at Juho. While observing Mr. Moon's expression, Juho continued after Seo Kwang.

     "Discretion."

     Then, he looked at Baron, who complained about having to participate and then said, "Non-permanent markers."

     *TL Note: (유성펜 would be a permanent marker, but I'm going with non-permanent for the continuity sake.)*

     "OK! We'll stop there."

     The end of the game was just as sudden as the beginning. Everyone looked at Mr. Moon, waiting for an explanation. Mr. Moon wrote down the three words on the chalkboard and then looked at the club members.

     "Starting now, you're going to write something using these three words."

     "What?!" Sun Hwa complained loudly.

     Although the others kept quiet, their expressions weren't exactly bright either. Even Baron had a surprised look on his face, but as usual, Juho remained composed.

     Writing based on a suggested topic was a commonly used format in essay contests. Of course, word chain was a lousy method for coming up with multiple topics. Thanks to Mr. Moon's creative approach, the result was complete nonsense: injured, discretion, and non-permanent marker.

     Mr. Moon didn't wait for the members to come to their senses. He continued on with his instructions.

     "The time limit is thirty minutes. You'll be writing in prose."

     "Thirty minutes?!" everyone complained about not getting enough time.

     Without budging, Mr. Moon explained his reasoning behind that seemingly impossible time limit, "This is training to minimize hesitation in your writing."

     "You mean we're not working on our writing style?"

     "That's a given. One inevitably becomes a better writer the more he or she writes. The more you write, the better you get. Simple and honest. In other words, whatever the training is, what matters is that you write. I've said this before."

     The members nodded. They remembered it from their first day.

     "The problem is, writing isn't that simple. You start getting ambitious. You're going to want to write well, but you're not going to know what to write about. Well, maybe it's a little weird to say 'you're going to want to write well.' I don't really like the sound of that. You won't be able to write a single line."

     A story came to completion after countless revisions. In order for revisions to take place, there had to be a draft: the very first completed draft.

     Nobody wrote a perfect draft from the get-go. The members had to complete their first draft with the assumption that there would be revisions down the line. It was not an easy task.

     "So, thirty minutes. There's no time to be idle. Just start writing. Don't worry about fixing things at the moment. You guys are good at procrastinating, right?"

     "It is our specialty," Juho answered.

     Even as the students understood Mr. Moon, they complained all the same, "Is there enough time to even think?"

     "Don't even worry about that. I won't start the timer until you all start writing. That means everyone's timer will start accordingly. Start writing once you've put enough thought into it."

     As he spoke, Mr. Moon brought out four timers from a corner of the room. Now, there was nothing to complain about.

     "Now, begin."

     At Mr. Moon's mark, the members began to brainstorm. For the time being, Juho wrote down the three keywords on the top of his paper: injured, discretion, non-permanent marker.

     Everyone had been complaining that thirty minutes wouldn't be enough time, but Juho thought otherwise. If there wasn't enough time, then he simply had to write something short.

     "What do I do? Injured, injured… Maybe there needs to be some sort of an accident."

     "You just had to pick that word, huh?" Sun Hwa said to Seo Kwang as he frantically repeated the same word to himself.

     "I think it's better than non-permanent marker."

     "What did you say?"

     "Nothing, Baron."

     As she struggled, Sun Hwa moved her eyes restlessly like she had thought of something. She had thought of a girl who had been stranded. She wanted to write a story about her escape in search of freedom (or discretion).

     'Injured. What if the story takes place in a hospital? The only word left is the 'non-permanent marker.' Non-permanent. Non-permanent marker. A girl trapped in a hospital and a non-permanent marker…'

     After a brief moment of thought, Sun Hwa started writing as if she had given up thinking any further.

     'I'm sure things will come as I write,' she thought. Her timer started ticking.

     Bom hurried as she watched Sun Hwa. Struggling to come up with an idea, she looked around the room just as Mr. Moon had previously taught. That moment, her eyes stopped at Baron's sketch book.

     'Drawing, non-permanent marker,' Bom focused her perspective onto Baron's drawing and then dug deeper into her thoughts.

     The mind was fascinating in the sense that it craved something that the body was incapable of doing. For example, one could feel the urge to go for a run after hurting his leg, or have the urge to draw after hurting his hand.

     Although she was concerned about whether she would be able to write everything in time, Bom held her pen and started writing.

     "What the, did you all start writing already?"

     "You can think all you want."

     "Still, I feel like I'm in a hurry. You're not exactly in a position to be talking either, you know?"

     It was no wonder, considering that Juho hadn't written anything other than the three keywords. Juho and Seo Kwang were the only two who still hadn't come up with an idea. Despite that, Juho seemed like he had all the time in the world.

     As he rushed Juho, Seo Kwang exclaimed, "Ah!" He had thought of something. He had thought of a story that could thoroughly embrace the three keywords.

     "I'll be going now, my friend."

     "You could've waited a little longer."

     After heartlessly abandoning his friend, Seo Kwang started writing down his ideas in a hurry.

     'What would discretion mean to a student? It'd be absence. Not going to school.'

     The thought alone made his heart beat, but Seo Kwang didn't stop there. There were still two other keywords.

     'So this guy writes a letter home on his way out. He uses a non-permanent marker of course. Then, should I make this about a teenage runaway? If I were to make him injured, a car accident probably makes the most sense.'

     Although he wasn't sure if he was capable of handling such a story, Seo Kwang kept on writing, remembering Mr. Moon's wise words.

     'I can always change things later. I trust you, my future self,' he thought.

     "Everyone's working hard," Juho murmured. At the sight all the members lost in writing, Juho slowly picked up his pen. Injured, discretion, non-permanent marker.

     It was his first time writing with a group of people. Juho was getting excited. He concentrated and then pinpointed the thoughts that were signaling him in his mind.

     In a brief moment, he began to fill up his page.

     'One day, my parents told me a story of my grandfather, who had passed away before I was born. He was brave and, at the same time, wise.

     'I wanted to meet him, but it was impossible to bring back the dead. So, I gave up.

     'I learned to talk and write. As I read, I learned that there were many types people that exist in a book. The good, the bad, the smart, the foolish, the successful, the unfortunate, the healthy, the sick, young, old, and then those who are alive, and those who are dead.

     'I started writing. It was about my grandfather. He transcended time and space and then overcame death to meet me.

     'Nothing was in my way. Having regards for others was not necessary. I had realized that. Writing is a discretion. It is an immense freedom that ignores various theories and rules. In that case, wouldn't it be possible to share that freedom with another person?

     'I stopped what I was writing and went outside.'

     'Outside,' thought Juho. 'What's out there?'

     He reached into the depths of his heart and dipped his hand into his stream of inspiration. Juho knew he'd find what he was looking for in there. He had to write appropriately. It wasn't going to be long from the start, so the story couldn't have too much depth. It would be foolish to tackle it in a hurry.

     Finally, Juho found what he was looking for. He had to pull it out onto the surface now.

     "Hey."

     He thought for a moment. He had lost it.

     "Hey, hey."

     'That was disappointing.' Juho looked up and saw Sun Hwa. He set aside his dazedness and answered her with a smile, "Hey, you called?"

     "Did you say snakes have 400 ribs before?" she asked.

     "Ah, yes. Apparently, they have more than 400."

     "I see. Thank you. You may proceed."

     After a brief moment of gratitude, Sun Hwa went back to writing, and Juho thought absent-mindedly, 'There must be a snake in her story, a snake with more than 400 ribs.'

     He turned his eyes to his paper again. The page was filled with the words he had written up to that point. Although he had just written them, they felt foreign for some reason. It was like looking at food that had gone bad. One was bound to get sick if he ate it.

     Seeing that Juho had suddenly stopped, Seo Kwang asked, "What's the matter? Is something wrong with your paper?"

     "No. There is no problem."

     There was no problem with the paper. Then, Juho heard a conversation between Bom and Sun Hwa.

     "I'm stuck here. How do include non-permanent marker?"

     "Hm, I'm not sure either. Well, the story is taking place in a hospital, so what if you make a doctor or a nurse use it?"

     "That sounds good."

     They were discussing how they could get around their writer's block. Mr. Moon did not intervene by any means. His intention was to let each writer take ownership of what they were writing. Sun Hwa had decided on a psychiatric hospital as the setting of her story.

     The comic she had been reading up until recently also took place in a psychiatric hospital. Then, she asked Juho for an outside opinion, and he answered with a question, "What do think about using it as a secret code?"

     "A secret code?"

     "Yeah. You're writing about an escape, right? You don't always have to treat non-permanent marker as an object. For example, let's say there's a code necessary to escape, and the word non-permanent marker is part of it."

     It wouldn't be odd to have a secret code or two in a story about an escape.

     "That's kind of cool."

     "That's a great idea!"

     Bom and Seo Kwang answered in sequence. 'Since when had he been listening?'

     Sun Hwa's face brightened up as she frivolously complimented Juho, "You're my muse!"

     "I really appreciate that."

     He waved his hand at her exaggerated expression. The writing writes itself. If Sun Hwa hadn't interrupted him, Juho wouldn't have had that inspiration. Sun Hwa had been the one who had asked for an outside opinion.

     Besides, no matter how great the story was, translating it into a compelling writing was a different story.

     'They'll do well. They know what they're doing,' thought Juho.

     He slowly moved his pen. As he wrote, Juho noticed that he wasn't feeling the same as he did a moment prior. In other words, there wasn't motivation.

     There were sounds of pens hitting the surface of the desk. The clock was ticking away. There was a distant shouting from the schoolyard. No matter how hard he tried, Juho couldn't focus.

     "Haha!"

     In the end, Juho wrapped up his story with the protagonist being injured after tripping on a non-permanent marker.

     After collecting the finished drafts, Mr.Moon left the room. The entire club knew that he had gone to the staffroom. Being a teacher was much more than taking care of his or her students.

     Juho was the only person who had finished his story within the given time limit, while the other three had barely finished their story after begging for extensions.

     After it was over, it had taken more than two hours for Mr. Moon to collect all of the completed drafts. Seeing how he wasn't forcefully collecting the papers, he must have been aware that most of the members wouldn't be able to finish in time. The thirty-minute time limit had been a form of device to allow the club members to write continuously and without hesitation.

     Seo Kwang complained, "Thirty minutes was really pushing it."

     "I thought it was plenty of time."

     "Shut up. Let's see how well you did."

     Knowing his product all too well, Juho said no more and shrugged his shoulders.

      The End.